Raphiel: The Shadow Tournament
by Terran34
Summary: Raphiel, a mysterious teenager with a passion for Duel Monsters comes to Domino High from America, where he discovers that here, Duel Monsters is more than just a game. It's a way of life. Rated T for mild language and occasional innuendo.
1. Arrival

I know that all of you out there who have added me to their author alerts (if any of them still care) have been waiting for me to update on my stories that are out there and waiting. I will have to say that I am sorry and those stories are on hold until I get a reliable editor who is willing to rip them up for me,.

Recently, thanks to my brother, I have been introduced to many different anime series and manga because he is now in college, and he resorted to these things to entertain himself. Therefore, I found myself getting into anime such as Bleach, Orphen, and more notably, Yu-Gi-Oh.

I had always been predisposed towards Yu-Gi-Oh, taking everyone's word for it when they said that it was not worth watching. (actually they said it was "gay" but keep in mind, they're middle schoolers,") Therefore, I had missed out on a wonderful series. So I began with the Japanese Season 0 and continued onwards from there. I watched the Japanese versions, however, because 4Kids has a reputation for ruining anime with their censorship.

Anyway, you probably came here to read the story, not listen to my ranting. This is the story of Raphiel, a troubled teen running from a checkered past who discovers that there is more to card games than just dueling. Oh, and to prevent you all from yelling at me that I changed the rules, I'm using the changed dueling rules that are used in GBA games Sacred Cards and Reshef of Destruction. Nothing is majorly changed, just the effects of cards.

Disclaimer: I have no intention of stealing this franchise for my own. I couldn't even if I wanted to. I can't screw the rules, because I don't have any money…

ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL

I crossed my arms and sighed for the umpteenth time. Riding in a car was really not my thing. I tried my best to get myself comfortable, but no amount of leather could prevent me from getting motion-sick. Even now I felt nauseous, and my only thought was to get out of this constraining taxi and breathe the free air again.

"Are you all right back there? You're looking a little ill," the taxi driver noted, glancing at me through the rear view mirror. I turned my attention to him, mildly surprised that the man actually spoke to me. Most taxi drivers were silent. But then again, this was Japan, not America. Not to mention that the man was right. I am ill, but I'm not going to show it.

"I'm fine. How much further to Domino High?" I replied in fluent Japanese, smiling grimly as I asked of my destination. I was glad I brushed up on my language skills before flying to Japan. This would have been a long trip otherwise.

"Not too much longer. Maybe a minute or two," the driver answered, his attention returning to the road. Whew, that's good. This is why I always walk or bike to where I need to go.

My thoughts turned to my destination, Domino High. Out of all the cities in Japan, I chose Domino City because I heard that many Duel Monsters Experts lived in the area, such as Insect Haga or the Champion himself, Seto Kaiba. I have a deck myself, but I didn't have time to dwell on this right now.

After choosing the city, it was merely a matter of finding the school with the best graduation rate. That turned out to be Domino High. I hoped I had made the right choice.

"All right, here we are. Domino High," the driver announced, slowing the vehicle to a stop. I sighed in relief as the nauseating motion stopped. The driver stepped out of the car and opened the door for me politely. I marveled at this. Man, I wish the people in America were as nice as this.

I nodded in thanks and got out of the car. The Japanese sun shined down upon me welcomingly, and I sighed contentedly. What a great way to start a new school term: with the sun shining and the atmosphere happy.

"Do you need help with your luggage?" the driver inquired, opening the trunk of the car. I shook my head and pulled my only suitcase out of the trunk. In fact, it wasn't really enough to even be called luggage. My suitcase had seen better days. Its black coloring had faded to a light gray, many zippers were broken, and the fabric had frayed in several places. Oh well. Beggars can't be choosers.

I looked at the side of his car, where the mile-yen ratio was printed in red letters. Reaching into my back pocket, I pulled out my wallet. I counted out the amount of yen I needed and gave it to the driver.

"Have a nice day, sir!" the driver said, and he got back into his car and started the engine. I turned my back to him, waving as I did so. With this, my eyes settled upon Domino High.

It really wasn't much to look at. The most prominent feature seemed to be its clock tower, which was smack dab in the center of it. Incorporated into this was its entrance. Hopefully, if this school was easy to navigate, the main office would be just inside.

School seemed to be in session, because I could spot other teens around my age passing the windows on both the first and second floors. Hmm, not exactly what I would have liked, but it would have to do. I hate when people stare at me when I walk into unfamiliar territory.

I strode purposefully to the double door entryway. I peered inside for a second, and then I opened the right door and entered.

Aha! If my Japanese was as good as I thought, then that room to the right of the entrance must be the offices. As I neared the offices, I happened to notice a strange thing about a particular student as he passed me in the hallway. It was his _hair_.

I mean, what the hell? God knows no one in America could get away with that kind of hairstyle. He would have been fine with just the golden bangs, but the whole spiky, red, and black look? Nuh-uh.

I smiled wryly and let the guy pass. This proves that styles in Japan were way different than in America. Anyway, on to more important things.

Pushing the door open, I entered the office. Looking around, I saw that the office consisted of a main desk with the usual secretary, and two hallways on either side stretching back. I assumed that the more specialized offices were down there.

The secretary looked up and saw me as I entered. She noticed my suitcase and raised an eyebrow, but she soon composed herself as I walked forward.

"Can I help you?" she asked politely.

"I'm the new student. I signed up just two weeks ago. I'm here for my schedule and rooming arrangements," I informed her. Formalities were the worst part about traveling. I preferred the times when I could just kick back alone and enjoy life.

"I see. Hang on while I look you up," the secretary replied, facing her computer. She clicked a few keys before speaking again.

"You are Raphiel Onyx, the American transfer student?" the woman asked once she apparently found what she was looking for. I nodded in confirmation. "Then you want to see Chouno-sensei down the left hallway. Third door on the left."

I thanked her and followed her instructions. Hmph. Japanese honorifics crack me up. I can never get them straight, but apparently this "Chouno" was a "sensei." Assumedly, that means teacher or something.

Upon entering Chouno's office, my first thought was "man, this place is clean." My second was "God, that woman is wearing WAY too much makeup!"

It was true. The woman sitting in the desk was wearing so much makeup, it was almost ugly. At least, that's how I feel. Maybe this style is considered pretty in Japan.

I cleared my throat slightly to advertise my presence. The woman looked up , saw me, and smiled. I kept my expression neutral. I did not feel like being friendly with anyone in authority, because you never know what they will get you to do if you did so.

"Yes? Can I help you?" the woman said. God, more formalities.

"Yes. My name is Raphiel Onyx, the American transfer student. I was directed to you by the front desk," I told her.

"Oh yes! I heard about you, Raphiel-kun. Please take a seat," the woman responded, motioning to one of the two chairs in front of her desk. I did so awkwardly. Raphiel-kun? Hah, that's a new one.

"My name is Chouno, and I would like to be the first to welcome you to our school. Let me hand you your schedule," the woman began, handing me a sheet of lavender colored paper. I took it from her, scanning it swiftly. Ah yes, the usual. Listed upon it were class names, times, room numbers, and teachers. I spotted Chouno's name next to my homeroom class.

"It appears that you are my homeroom teacher, Chouno-sensei," I observed, even using the honorific that the secretary had attached to her. Apparently it was the right one, because Chouno seemed happy at the respect I gave her.

"Really? Then we'll have plenty of time to get to know one another," Chouno replied, smiling again.

"I'll be looking forward to it," I responded respectfully. Hah, like hell. The only thing I'll look forward to is my sleeping time.

"Oh, silly me. You need a dormitory as well," Chouno said suddenly, and she began to rifle though her neatly organized desk. "Here we go. Dormitory #318 was assigned to you. Oh, and it's empty too."

I mentally cheered. A dorm to myself! Man, I haven't been in this school for more than an hour and I'm already getting lucky. Maybe it's an omen.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Raphiel-kun," Chouno said, handing me a room key. I thanked her and left the room, still pulling my pathetic suitcase behind me. Now, if she had only told me where the damn dorms were located. I guess I would have to ask someone.

I exited the offices and scanned the hallway, looking for someone to ask. I noticed that the halls were now mostly empty, because class must be in session. I spotted a middle sized teen about my age cleaning the hallways. He was wearing the school uniform, of course, but as usual, he had a really unusual hair style: Normal brown, but spiked slightly at the front. Damn these Japanese people and their hair!

"Excuse me, but do you know where the dorms are?" I interjected. The teen looked up from his work to see me. He noticed my suitcase, and then he became all friendly.

"Ahh, a new student! My name is Hiroto Honda," the teen stated proudly. I REALLY wanted to bury my face in my hands, but I kept up my image of politeness. Why must EVERYONE try to get to know me?!

"Pleased to meet you Honda-kun. I am Raphiel Onyx," I replied, taking Honda's offered hand and shook it.

"Likewise, Raphiel-kun. The dorms are all the way at the back of the facility. Just keep going until you see a row of two story buildings. You can't miss them," Honda answered, pointing.

"Thanks. See you later," I said and then followed his directions. Maybe now I could have some time to myself.

I chuckled slightly at my own expense and then I scanned the building numbers. I was in the 200s, so I walked to the right until I came upon my dorm. It didn't look like much. It was simply a thin, two story building with two windows on the front-one for each floor.

Opening the door, I was surprised to see that this dorm actually DIDN'T smell like crap. It seemed to be pretty clean, as well.

There are usually two dorms to a building. Apparently each floor is a separate dorm. According to Chouno, however, this dorm is empty and both floors are mine, though I doubt I need more than one.

There were two bunk beds placed against one wall, two closets, and one desk. In the back of the room was a bathroom. I guess this floor was intended for four occupants. For now it's mine.

I set my suitcase on the floor and unzipped it, revealing my four sets of casual clothes. I was sure that once I opened the closet, various sizes of the school uniform would be inside, so I didn't need to worry about that.

I opened one of the closets to reveal, as I guessed, school uniforms. However, there was room for more, so I hung up my four shirts inside. On the floor of the closet, I placed my neatly folded jeans. When I was done, I used the clean (surprisingly) bathroom and then threw myself on the bottom bed of the bunk nearest to the door with a sigh. I looked out the window to see the sun setting. Damn winter and its short days. Oh well. It may be early, but I guess I'd better sleep. I need to wake up early in the morning.

Oh! I almost forgot! I rose from my bed and walked over to my suitcase. In the upper zippered pocket was my Duel Monsters deck. Can't leave that in there. I took it out and placed it in a safe place on top of my jeans in the closet. Okay, now I can sleep.

I closed my eyes and smiled. I had high expectations for this school. I only hope that it lived up to them.

ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL

The alarm on my wristwatch went off, beeping harshly. I opened my eyes reluctantly. Thanks to this damn winter season, it was almost pitch black outside. Oh well. At least I got a decent amount of sleep.

I got up from the bed and entered my bathroom. I took a quick shower, making sure I was clean enough to make a good lasting first impression, and then I dressed in a school uniform that fitted me. I went to leave, but then I remembered my deck. I didn't think I'd need it…oh hell. I went over to the closet, picked up my deck, and pocketed it. Then I left the dorm and joined the stream of students heading to their homeroom class.

Hmm, my schedule said room 028. That seemed to be the one ALL the way over near the entrance. Oh well. I could use the exercise.

I reached the room and entered. The room was filled with desks arranged in an orderly fashion, with a long teacher's desk in the front of the room. Not very complex.

The room was half full at the moment, and even more trickled in. I spotted the cleaning guy in the back of the room. What was his name again…Honda! That was it.

"Excuse me, Raphiel-kun," a female voice stopped me as I went to pick a seat. I turned to see Chouno, the lady from the office, standing behind the teacher's desk. Oh yeah, she is my homeroom teacher. "Please sit here next to me for a moment."

Bemused, I did what I was told, sitting down in a chair next to her. God, this was awkward. Now everyone was looking at me strangely. Damn you, Chouno, for putting me in the spotlight!

The room soon filled, and I had a chance to survey them. Oh God, it's that short guy with the messed up, spiky red and gold hair again. I'll never be able to concentrate if I sit behind him.

"Good morning class!" Chouno announced cheerfully. The class immediately went silent. This surprised me. Was the class afraid of her or something?

"Good morning, Chouno-sensei," the class chorused back. They sounded like a choir of zombies. Apparently Chouno didn't care, because she moved on.

"AS you may have noticed, we have a new face in class. Raphiel-kun, please stand up," Chouno continued. I suppressed a sigh and did what I was told, keeping my expression neutral. The class's eyes riveted on me, much to my annoyance.

"Raphiel-kun is an American exchange student who has just arrived here to learn with us!" Chouno droned on, her voice sounding very girly and annoying. God, shut up and let me sit down. "Raphiel-kun, you can go sit down now, over there next to Yuugi."

I followed her pointing finger to see an empty desk next to…sigh. It's that short guy with the crazy hair. Oh well, there's nothing for it. I did what she said and went and sat down in the seat she indicated. Behind me, someone tapped me on the shoulder.

"Good to see you again, Raphiel-kun," came Honda's voice. I turned my head halfway and nodded in acknowledgement. I kept silent so I wouldn't disturb Chouno. Speaking of the devil, she was talking again. Something about new rules and stuff. I don't care, because I have a list of rules on the back of my schedule. Instead, I surveyed the teens around me.

In front of me was a fairly tall individual, with a confident smirk and spiky blonde hair. Hah, his hair is the most normal I've seen so far on a guy. In front of the crazy red and gold haired teen was an attractive girl with shoulder length brown hair. Finally, on my right, was a pretty girl with strange, pale hair and an innocent looking face.

Okay, I'm not going to bore you with the details of my school day. Basically, my first day consisted of me going to each of my classes and spending them getting textbooks and materials while the others learned. So far, I didn't have any classes with Honda or any of the others I mentioned. Also, on one interesting note, the roster for my homeroom indicated that the legendary Seto Kaiba himself was in my class! Of course, he wasn't there. Dammit.

However, for recess, we were to return to homeroom and check in before heading outside. So I ended up back in Chouno's classroom.

As everyone headed outside to play sports and whatever, I decided to stay inside. Sports simply aren't my thing.

"You're staying inside too?" came a childish voice from next to me. I turned my head to see that guy, Yuugi or whatever, facing me. I guess I had to answer.

"Of course. I don't play sports," I replied, keeping my voice curt, hoping that Yuugi would get the message and leave me alone.

"Haha! Neither do we," Yuugi said, laughing. We? I looked around me to see all of the people who were sitting around me in class.

"So, Raphiel-kun, how's Domino High been treating you?" Honda spoke up from behind me. Sigh. I guess I was actually going to have to be social. I was about to answer when Yuugi saved me.

"You know him, Honda-kun?" the teen asked curiously.

"Yeah, I met him in the hallway when he first got here. Isn't that right?" Honda replied, directing his last sentence at me. I crossed my arms and nodded.

"I suppose I'd better introduce you to us all," Yuugi mused. It took all of my willpower not to groan. I don't care what their names are, because I may not even be staying here that long. You never know.

"This is Mazaki Anzu," Yuugi began, indicating the brown haired girl. Anzu smiled warmly and offered her hand. I took it, making sure to be gentle. I may not care for their company, but I will never be rude.

"Ha! I can introduce myself! I am Katsuya Jonouchi, and Yuugi's best buddy!" the blonde haired teen declared suddenly. I shook his hand as well, my eyebrows slightly raised at his boldness. The others chuckled somewhat at his antics. Yuugi was about to introduce the last girl, but Honda cut him off.

"Last, but by NO means least, we have the beautiful Miho Nosaka!" Honda announced cheerfully. Miho smiled brightly, offering her hand. I took it as well, noticing the grin on Honda's face. Beautiful? Sounds like someone has a crush. Not like I care.

"So, Raphiel-kun, do you like games?" Yuugi prompted after the introductions were over. If my ears could perk up like those Japanese cat girls, they just did. NOW they had my attention.

"Games? Like what?" I asked, instantly alert. Maybe, just maybe, these people were duelists. If so, then I want to test them. Just to see how well they fare against my advanced deck.

"Um, I don't know, board games, card games, and stuff like that?" Yuugi clarified, seeming somewhat embarrassed. Then Jonouchi vaulted over his desk until he was next to me.

"Let me put it this way. Do you play Duel Monsters?" the blonde interrogated. I let a grin steal its way across my face.

"Jonouchi! That's not what I was going to ask…" Yuugi weakly protested from behind Jonouchi. Anzu, Honda, and Miho chuckled behind them.

"I thought you'd never ask!" I said, withdrawing my deck from my pocket, displaying it to them.

"Aha! He plays!" Jonouchi said, pumping his fist into the air. I decided to see if I could duel now.

"Does anyone want to play?" I challenged, standing up. Yuugi and Jonouchi looked uncertain.

"I would, but I promised Jonouchi that I would play him today," Yuugi apologized. Jonouchi shrugged. I sat back down again, the grin fading. Man, now that I'm in the mood, I want to duel dammit!

"Tell you what! How about you come over to my place after school? Then we could duel!" Yuugi suggested, his eyes lighting up. I looked at him, intrigued.

"You mean it?" I asked, wondering if he was serious. Not many people in America invited someone over after just meeting them. Yuugi nodded, smiling.

"Sounds interesting! I'll tag along, if it's okay with you guys," Anzu spoke up.

"Count me in. I want to see this!" Honda added. With this, Yuugi seemed to grow happier, while I merely grew more nervous. If they all wanted to see this duel, then does that mean Yuugi is a good duelist? Hmm, maybe I'll actually have a challenge.

"Say, why don't we all go? I'll bring chips and drinks!" Jonouchi announced, setting up a table for his and Yuugi's duel. The group of teens cheered and exchanged high fives, while I sat there feeling awkward. Miho saw me and patted me on the back.

"Don't be shy! It will be fun!" she assured me. Oh I wasn't shy. Not in the least.

"All right. I'll show up once I finish sorting through my new school supplies. I'll need the address, however," I affirmed. Yuugi gave me directions on a slip of paper, and then he sat opposite Jonouchi and they began to play Duel Monsters.

This was good. Now I had a chance to review my opponent and his strategies. I joined Anzu, Honda, and Miho and watched the two duel. However, Honda seemed more preoccupied with Miho than the duel. Go figure.

As I watched, Jonouchi began to lose badly. However, he took it all in a good mood, saying that the duel was good practice. I noticed Yuugi's deck contained more monster cards than it did spell cards, and many of the monsters were weak. The only monsters that proved a threat to me were the ones that required one tribute.

Jonouchi soon lost to Yuugi, and I didn't even see any monsters that could touch my trump card. Also, my trap cards would tear him to pieces.

"Good duel," I told them, and soon after the bell to return to class rang.

The rest of my school day ended the same way it began, with more gathering of materials for class. Tomorrow, the real schoolwork would begin.

When school ended, I spotted Yuugi and his friends walking off campus, probably heading to whatever homes they had. I also noticed a strange pendant around Yuugi's neck. Strange. I hadn't noticed that before. I made a mental note to ask him about it this evening.

I walked into my dorm and set my newly gained textbooks and materials on the floor. I spent a few minutes checking my deck, and then I organized my school materials on the desk. Now, I had a duel to fight.

I discarded my school uniform and put on a pair of black jeans and a black tank-top. I went into the bathroom to make sure I looked all right.

As I gazed into the mirror at my own visage, I sighed. I look exhausted. Picking up a brush, I began to comb the knots out of my black hair that extended down to just below my shoulders. Once it looked fine, I grabbed my deck and left my dorm, heading for Yuugi's place. It was time to duel.

ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL ARRIVAL

So…What do you all think? Yes, I used everyone's original Japanese names, because I HATE what 4kids did to the show. Watch the abridged series. Then you will know what I mean.

I tried to make this story seem more like a journal entry than just plain limited 1st person. It makes Raphiel seem more human.

Yes, most duels will have their own chapters. Also, I will be doing the duels rather randomly. For example, I first compile everyone's decks and assign each card a number. Then, I roll two dice. The number shown is the card drawn that turn. That makes the duels more random and exciting, because even I don't know how they will turn out.

I'm not going to moan about it, like I do in EVERY other story of mine, but please review when you finish this chapter, because there's nothing more inspiring than a good review.

Later,

Terran34


	2. Duel with Yuugi

Now that I have continued inspiration from this story, as well as unwavering support from my friends, I can continue to update despite the lack of reviews.

This chapter begins the first duel of the story: Yuugi vs. Raphiel! Using my random chance strategy, I won't be able to tell how the duel will turn out.

Disclaimer: I have no intention of stealing this franchise for my own. I couldn't even if I wanted to. I can't screw the rules, because I don't have green hair…

DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL

Hmm, I'm supposed to go left here on this street, but right on this one. Gosh, you think this guy's house would be easier to find than this. I'm actually going out of my way to duel you, but you can't make your damn house a little closer? Of course he can't. Now I'm just being selfish.

Following the directions Yuugi gave me, I soon was led to a partly empty corner in Domino City. I looked at the paper. It said that his address was right here, but all I see is this game shop. What the hell? Did he give me a false address?

As I stood there, confused, the door of the game shop opened and a familiar blonde poked his head out.

"He's here, he's here!" Jonouchi yelled. Then he gasped as Honda tackled him and pushed him back inside.

"I'm sorry; I couldn't restrain him any longer!" Honda called to me, shutting the door again. I chuckled at this. So the game shop WAS his house. Weird, who the heck lives in a freaking game shop? OH RIGHT! I'm in Japan.

I opened the door to see Yuugi and the others working together to move a medium sized table into the center of the shop. Speaking of the shop, it was chock full of games of every type. I even saw several booster packs for Duel Monsters lining the wall.

Ignoring the group for a second, I stood in front of the booster pack wall and stared in awe. Almost every pack was held here! However, my excitement died once I saw the expensive prices. I guess I'd have to get a job in order to afford them.

"So you are Yuugi's new friend?" sounded an old voice from behind me. I turned around to see an old man with hair just like Yuugi's, only minus the crazy colors.

"I guess I am," I answered, not exactly liking that they all considered me their friend already. "I'm Raphiel Onyx."

"I'm Yuugi's grandfather, Sugoroko Mutou," the old man declared, offering his hand. I took it politely, although now I just wanted to get on with the duel.

"Over here, Raphiel-kun!" called Anzu from near the table. I nodded to Sugoroko and strode over to the table, where Yuugi had already sat down. Jonouchi had pulled up a chair for me opposite him.

"I'm glad you showed up, Raphiel-kun! I was getting kind of bored of only dueling Jonouchi," Yuugi said happily, pulling his deck out from his pocket.

"Yeah, he wanted a challenge," Honda quipped, much to the others' amusement.

"Hey!" cried Jonouchi indignantly as the others laughed. Keeping silent, I grabbed my deck from my pocket as well.

Seeing the two decks, the group grew silent and circled the table as we set up for the duel. Yuugi and I switched decks, as was the custom, and shuffled them accordingly. This was to prevent any cheating from occurring.

I handed his deck back to him, and then I received mine. I placed my deck on my right side, near the edge of the table, and Yuugi did the same.

"Are you ready?" Yuugi asked. I nodded and smirked. I had been ready since I left my dorm. It was time to teach this kid a lesson.

After a quick game of rock paper scissors, it was determined that Yuugi would go first. Fine by me, I prefer it that way. This was so I could plan my attack already knowing what his first monster would be.

"Duel. Life points set at eight thousand," I said, indicating that the duel had begun. Yuugi nodded, and then he drew five cards from his deck, and I did the same.

My first card was one of my favorite monsters, the King of Yamimakai, with an attack of 2600 and a defense of 2300. Very powerful, but it required one tribute to summon. That wouldn't help me on my first turn.

My second card was FAR more useful, and I smirked as I thought about the advantage I would have with it. It was the card Yami, which would turn the entire field into darkness and power up all of my dark monsters by 300 points.

The third card I drew was the Harpie's Feather Duster, which would destroy all of the opponent's trap and magic cards on the field. Very useful, but it was just taking up hand space now.

The fourth card I drew was the Summoned Skull, which was another powerful monster with an attack of 2500, and a defense of 1200. Dammit, it's another monster that requires one tribute. If the next card I draw isn't a level 4 or below, then I would be in some serious trouble.

The final card of my hand turned out to be an Acid Trap Hole, a fairly useful trap that would allow me to last a turn since I didn't get any monsters this turn. God, my luck is bad so far.

Yuugi looked over his hand pensively, but I couldn't read his expression. Hey, he had a good poker face. The bad thing was that I could tell if he had a good hand or not.

"Get him, Yuugi!" Jonouchi encouraged, much to my annoyance. Yuugi smiled and nodded, and then he finally made the first move.

"I will place Black Scorpion in attack mode and end my turn!" Yuugi announced, placing his card on the field. I examined it and nearly laughed out loud. Only 800 attack?! THAT'S what you are going to fight me with? What was I worried about again?

Since it was the second turn, I could draw a card. The rule was, if you had more than five cards in your hand at the end of the turn, then you had to discard until you had five again. So if I played one card this turn, I wouldn't have to discard. Of course, I was going to play more than one.

I winced as I viewed the card I drew. It was not a monster card. It was Torrential Tribute. It was like Acid Trap hole, only it was far more effective. So, my only strategy now was merely to survive.

"I will place a card and end my turn," I stated, placing Torrential Tribute face down on the field. If Yuugi was stupid enough to attack, then he would be in for a nasty surprise.

"What?! No monsters? Watch out Yuugi-kun, he's up to something," Honda advised. I shot him a glare, although he didn't notice it.

"It doesn't matter. I think I have him," Yuugi said as he drew a card. I smirked at this. It's this early in the duel, and he's already being confident? Fool.

"I summon Mushroom Man in attack mode," Yuugi declared, placing the card face up next to Black Scorpion. I didn't let it concern me, because it was only another weak monster with only 800 attack.

"Black Scorpion! Attack Raphiel-kun's life points!" Yuugi shouted, pushing forward the card as an indication of an attack. Gotcha, you amateur.

"Then I'll activate this trap card in retaliation. Torrential Tribute!" I shot back, turning my trap card face up. Yuugi gasped as he saw it. The others leaned in to see what the card did.

"Dammit, Raphiel-kun, you're using underhanded tactics!" Jonouchi chastised. I merely shrugged. It's not like I care what they think of my tactics. What works, works.

Yuugi reluctantly removed his active monsters from play and put them in the graveyard. Such was the effect of my trap card.

"I end my turn," Yuugi muttered, leaning back in his chair. I wanted SO much to say something derogatory to him, but I restrained myself. I have to remain polite or I would regret it later.

I drew the next card and almost groaned aloud. It was another Torrential Tribute. Why the hell can't I get some monster cards?! I can't play on the defensive forever!

"I will place a card and end my turn," I repeated, placing the trap card face down on the field, just like last time.

"Again? Miho is confused," Miho piped up. I looked over at Honda, who I could tell was trying to stop himself from saying something. I smirked again.

Yuugi drew another card and glanced at it before putting it in his hand. I noticed Yuugi's posture slump somewhat. Aha, he must have nothing in his hand that can help him.

"I end my turn," Yuugi announced miserably. The others gasped in surprise at this obviously foolish move.

"Don't give up, Yuugi!" Anzu told him. I noticed that she omitted the –Kun honorific. That meant…oh. I guess either the two are very close, or they're in a relationship. Oh well, none of my business.

I drew a card to see that it STILL was not a monster. It was a Raigeki. It's a useful magic card that destroys all monsters on the opponent's field. Right now it is useless to me.

"I will end my turn as well," I affirmed. To the others, it must have seemed like I passed my turn as well to be nice to Yuugi, but my luck just sucks.

Yuugi drew his card, increasing his hand to six cards. If he didn't play anything this turn, then he would have to discard. The teen smiled slightly.

"I will place Dark Mammoth on the field in attack mode and end my turn," Yuugi declared, placing the card down on the table. I looked at it and scoffed in derision. It was weaker than the last two, with only an attack of 600!

At least he learned from the last turn. He wasn't attacking because he knew I would destroy his monster with my trap card. That's how I win. I force my opponents on the defensive and then crush them.

I drew the next card from my deck. Yes! It was something I could use!

"I activate Monster Reborn to return your Black Scorpion to the field on my side in attack mode!" I cried, slapping the card on the field. Yuugi sighed and he took the mentioned card from his graveyard and handed it to me. I placed it on the field in attack formation. I wasn't going to attack with it, however.

"Then," I started, surprising everyone. "I will sacrifice it in order to bring out King of Yamimakai!"

I placed the powerful card on the field, causing everyone to gasp as they beheld one of my strongest monsters.

"To finish off my combo, I will activate Yami, which transforms the field into darkness, powering up any fiend, dark, or spellcaster monsters by 300 points," I continued. Yuugi's eyes were wide as he looked at my mighty King of Yamimakai, which was now strengthened to an attack of 2900.

"King of Yamimakai! Destroy Yuugi-kun's Dark Mammoth!" I yelled, pushing forward my card. Yuugi grunted and moved his destroyed monster into the graveyard. His life points plummeted all the way down to 5700. The duel was already in my favor. I may not even GET to use my trump card!

"It's not over yet!" Yuugi declared as he drew his next card. "I will place a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

I grinned at his display of bravado. Good, I like my opponents to have guts. I drew my next card, which turned out to be…a normal monster! For the love of God, why did it take so long for me to draw one?!

"I will play La Jinn, the Mystical Genie of the Lamp in attack mode!" I proclaimed, adding another monster to the field. La Jinn wasn't as strong as the King of Yamimakai, but it was still formidable, especially thanks to my Yami card. This boosted its attack power of 1800 to 2100.

"La Jinn is now attacking your defending monster," I affirmed. Yuugi flipped the card dejectedly over to reveal a Koumori Dragon, which only had an attack power of 1500. It was destroyed and removed to the graveyard, but Yuugi didn't lose any life points because the monster was in defense mode.

"I will end my turn by attacking your life points directly with my remaining monster, bringing your life points down to two thousand and eight hundred," I finished, a satisfied look on my face. I had Yuugi exactly where I wanted him. Unless he pulled something strong out of his deck, he was finished.

The others watched in silence as Yuugi drew his next card. The teen sighed exasperatedly.

"I will summon this monster in defense mode and end my turn," Yuugi disclosed, again placing a card face down on the field.

I began my next turn by drawing a card. It was Change of Heart, which was a card that could change the loyalty of one of my opponent's monsters, making it mine. I then had an evil thought. If Yuugi had ended his turn without playing a monster before, then his hand must have been full of strong, tribute requiring monsters. In that case, Yuugi was sure to summon one next turn if I didn't destroy it. In which case, I decided to let him. Then I could use this new card to destroy him with his own monster.

"I will sacrifice La Jinn in order to bring out another card, the Summoned Skull," I announced. I did so, placing the powerful card on the field. It was a fiend, so its attack rose to 2800.

"Where do you get such rare cards?! I demand to know!" Jonouchi yelled, a comical look on his face. I looked up at him coolly.

"I might tell you, if you can beat me in a duel," I hinted. The color that Jonouchi's face turned made the others around him laugh. "My turn is over."

Yuugi looked up, surprised that I didn't attack. He drew his next card.

"I will sacrifice this monster in order to bring out Night Soldier!" Yuugi declared. I examined the monster he placed to see it had an attack of 2400. Not bad for a complete amateur. It was a dark monster as well, so its attack went up to 2700. Strong, but not strong enough to be a threat. Good try Yuugi, but victory will be mine.

"And," Yuugi continued, grabbing my attention. "I will attach Black Pendant to Night Soldier, increasing his attack to three thousand and two hundred!"

I gasped in surprise and horror. With a monster of that strength, he could take on every single monster in my deck! I had to do something, and fast!

Then I caught myself. He can't attack me at all, or I will destroy his Night Soldier with my Torrential Tribute that was still on the field.

"Next, I will eliminate your magic and trap cards with Harpie's Feather Duster!" Yuugi continued, confidence creeping into his voice. I began to sweat somewhat as all of my plans crashed down around me.

"Night Soldier! Attack the King of Yamimakai!" Yuugi yelled, pushing what I was sure was his trump card forward.

There was nothing I could do but remove my favorite monster from the field and into the graveyard. Now, my life points had decreased to 7700. This was still a high number, but I had no monsters able to contend with that…except…aha! I still have a chance!

Yuugi ended his turn and sat back in his chair with his arms crossed confidently.

"Yeah! You go Yuugi-kun!" Jonouchi cheered.

"Show him who's boss!" Honda added. This angered me. I'm sitting RIGHT HERE you morons…

I drew my next card, hoping that it would be something that I could use to contend with this monster. I saw it and my eyes widened. This was it. This was my ultimate trump card. The one thing that I could use to destroy Yuugi utterly.

"This was a good duel, Yuugi-kun. I enjoyed fighting you," I said, a grin forming on my face. I held up the card with confidence. I slammed it on the table, yelling its name out loud. "Thousand Eyes Restrict!"

Yuugi and the others gasped as they beheld the volatile card. It had an attack of 0 and a defense of 0, but its effect is what made it good.

"I now activate its effect in order to copy the attributes of a monster on your field and power it up two levels!" I continued, feeling that now, victory was in my grasp. Yuugi gasped as I took his most powerful monster from his field and placed it on top of my monster, indicating that my monster absorbed it and took on its form. Its attack rose by 600, leaving it with 3800 attack.

"Thousand Eyes Restrict, attack Yuugi directly!" I roared. Yuugi sighed as his life points dropped to 0. The duel was over, and victory was mine.

I gathered up my cards and organized them back into the deck. I wasn't a poor winner, so I rose from my seat and offered my hand. Yuugi saw it and stood up as well.

"Good duel, Yuugi-kun," I asserted. Yuugi smiled at my sportsmanship and took my hand. We shook it honorably and then turned to the others.

"Looks like I need to seriously re-arrange my deck," Yuugi conceded, grinning ruefully. Jonouchi went over to Yuugi and slapped him on the back.

"You gave him a good fight, and that's all that matters," he said good-naturedly. My respect for these guys rose…but only somewhat. At least they weren't poor losers.

"You are very strong! Miho likes strong duelists!" Miho exclaimed, grabbing my arm. I was startled by this, and I stood there awkwardly. I noticed with some amusement Honda glaring at me.

Thankfully, the spontaneous girl released her hold on my arm and stood back over there with Honda. Sugoroko stood behind the counter of the store, smiling as he noticed us talking.

I looked out the window to see the sun vanishing below the horizon. I better head back, because I need my sleep for tomorrow. I had a lot of work ahead of me if my suspicions were right.

"I'm going to head back to my dorm, okay?" I informed everyone, pocketing my deck and heading for the door. However, Jonouchi beat me there.

"Oh no you don't. You can't just come in here, beat Yuugi at his favorite game, and then leave without staying for dinner!" the blonde interjected, much to my annoyance. I tried to push him out of the way, but the others piped up.

"Yeah, good idea. Why don't you stay here a bit longer and relax with the rest of us? I think you earned it!" Anzu agreed.

"We should all stay for dinner. What do you say, Grandpa?" Yuugi asked, glancing over at Sugoroko. The old man smiled knowingly.

"Of course! I'd be happy to treat any of my grandson's friends. Stay as long as you like!" Sugoroko replied.

Thus, I was forced to sit down back in my seat at the table as it was transformed into a dinner table. Dammit I knew something like this would happen. I can't just duel somebody and then get on with my life. Heck, I won't be able to do a freaking thing in my life if I'm imprisoned in the house of everyone I duel for a night.

Resigned to my fate, I looked around to see what everyone was doing. Yuugi and his grandfather were in a small room behind the counter, which I assumed was the kitchen due to the aromas wafting out of it. Poor Miho couldn't do a thing because Honda was too busy doing EVERY little thing for her: getting her a plate, pouring her a drink, getting her silverware. I looked over at the girl and soon met eyes with her. She looked at me pleadingly, as if to say, "Help me."

Hmm, the first time I saw Honda, he was cleaning. In fact, in his free time, that's all he seemed to do. Maybe it was because he was a environment freak. That gave me an idea.

"Hey, Honda-kun. I think I just saw someone tip over a trashcan outside and leave it," I lied. He looked shocked.

"What?! Where?!" Honda exclaimed, outraged, and then he ran outside. Jonouchi, who had been laughing at Honda behind his back, watched him, confused.

"Thanks, Raphiel-kun. Miho wasn't sure if she would be allowed to do anything for herself," Miho told me gratefully. Jonouchi, who finally understood, burst out laughing.

"Nice one, Raphiel-kun. I gotta remember that next time he pisses me off," the blonde commented. Miho giggled and then she went to get the rest of the things she needed for dinner.

"Aha! That's one less garbage can lying tipped over in the street!" Honda announced as he came stalking in. Wait what? He actually found a tipped over trashcan? I made that up off of the top of my head! My face then became acquainted with my hand.

"Honda, you're hopeless," Jonouchi joked, much to Honda's confusion.

"What?" he asked, although no one answered him.

"Dinner's ready!" Yuugi called from the kitchen. Everyone (but me, of course) cheered and rushed to the kitchen for their meal. I, however, took my time so I wouldn't be trampled.

Dinner consisted of several tender, well-cooked fish coupled with bowls of rice. It was actually really very good, contrary to what I thought it would be.

"A toast to friendship and to Raphiel-kun's amazing dueling skills!" Anzu declared, raising her glass. I sighed, although I liked the compliment. The cheesy friendship thing I could do without.

"A toast!" Jonouchi roared.

"Um…sure," I whispered. We then clinked glasses and then we drained them dry.

Soon, dinner was finished, and I had to bid goodbye to them. Finally! I thought I would never get out of there.

"See you tomorrow in school, Raphiel-kun!" Yuugi called. "Good night everyone!"

I gave a little half wave over my shoulder, and then I began the long walk back to my dorm. Jonouchi was with me for a little bit, but then we parted ways at an intersection.

As I walked back, I reflected upon the evening. I didn't have a terrible time, but it wasn't the sort of night I was used to. I mean, the teens were nice and everything, but I didn't know how close I could afford to get to them. You never know what might happen. I've had enough pain to last me twenty lifetimes.

I soon came upon my dorm. Entering it, I breathed in the clean air in satisfaction. I was finally alone, where I could enjoy some nice sleep.

I undressed myself swiftly and put the dirty clothes in a basket that had been provided for me. I put my deck in its usual spot in the closet before collapsing on my bed.

Despite my early misgivings, today, life was good.

DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL DUEL

That chapter was fun to write! I didn't expect the duel to take up this many pages, however. The dice pissed me off because it kept giving Yuugi monsters and Raphiel trap cards. Oh well. This sort of stuff does happen in modern card games, so it made it more realistic.

So what did you think of Raphiel's deck? These are all real cards, I assure you. Yuugi's deck was based on the one he had during Season 0, as well as his trademark cards. You are probably wondering why he didn't summon the Dark Magician. That's because the damn dice wouldn't roll its number.

Anyway, I typed this all up in a day, so ignore any typos. The real plot will begin in the next chapter, so stay tuned until then!

Later,

Terran34


	3. Invitation

Now that I have a suitable name for my villain, thanks to Masonman94 and the Maximum, I can continue. My villain will be somewhat based off Pegasus, but I will give him a motive that people can relate to. However, instead of making this a story, I'm considering making this a series, because my friends are bombarding me with ideas that I can't possible fit into one story.

Disclaimer: I have no intention of stealing this franchise for my own. I couldn't even if I wanted to. Because only adults can play a children's card game. HAIL KAIBA!

INVITATION INVITATION INVITATION INVITATION INVITATION INVITATION INVITATION INVITATION

My alarm went off, jerking me into wakefulness. It was a happy waking, however, as I remembered my victory. I couldn't help but respect Yuugi, though. Instead of breaking down and screaming at me that my victory 'was a fluke,' he actually took his defeat well and decided to learn from it. In fact, I may not object to…No. I…snap out of it Raphiel. You can't afford to get close to anyone.

I took a quick shower and dressed myself in a pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt. I attended to my personal hygiene, and then I snatched my deck from the closet and pocketed it. I may need it for recess, after all. I grabbed the books I needed and dashed out the door.

School was already starting, because students were streaming from their dorms and heading to their respective classes. I joined them, even though I hated crowds. Heck, I hated anything that had to do with a large amount of people. Call it insecurity or whatever. I just like being alone, dammit!

"Hello," came a timid, male voice from behind me as I walked into the school building. I turned to see a strange teen walking behind me. He was a bit shorter than me, and he had large brown eyes and long white hair. I mentally sighed as I spotted his hair. I should just stop complaining about people's hair. EVERYONE has crazy hair in this freaking country.

I looked to either side to see if he was talking to anyone else. He wasn't. God, what do you want?

"You are Raphiel-kun, the transfer student?" the teen asked. I nodded in confirmation, and I resumed my walk. He followed me, making me sigh. Just who was this guy? "I'm Ryou Bakura. I'm in your class too."

Oh. So that's why he was following me. I guess this guy was just trying to be friends. I was now stuck in the position of telling him to get lost as nicely as possible.

"Nice to meet you, Bakura-kun," I replied politely, shaking hands with the guy. Man, we had about the same hair, only his was white. Yin-Yang? Oh wait no that stands for male-female oh god that's NOT what I meant! Err…Moving on…

Bakura smiled and the two of us walked together to miss lovable Chouno…the woman who makes makeup illegal.

Yuugi waved to me as I entered. I nodded back respectfully. After all, he did have the guts to duel me, lose, and still try to be friends with me. Hey, I may come from America, but that doesn't stop me from bashing the people in it.

Bakura sat in the back corner of the room, on the opposite side of the room. I disregarded him and sat in my usual seat next to Yuugi.

"Good morning, Raphiel-kun!" Yuugi greeted me as I sat down.

"Same to you," I answered, keeping my eyes on the front of the room. "What's with Jonouchi-kun?"

The blonde was sitting face down on the desk, snoring loudly, earning him many weird looks and giggles from the students around him.

"He stayed up all night looking through Yuugi-kun's grandpa's card collection," Honda replied, sniggering. I sighed, and my face fell to my palm in exasperation. Chouno chose that moment to enter the room.

"Good morning class! Welcome to another day of…JONOUCHI WAKE UP!!!" Chouno hollered, startling the hapless blonde into wakefulness.

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" Jonouchi complained, wiping the sleep from his eyes. Yuugi and the others laughed quietly.

"Thank you. Now today we will…" Chouno began. So began the next boring school day. Chouno had us do a "small group activity." We were put into groups of three and sent to work on a ten page web quest on "the benefits of proper etiquette." Can I have a bag to puke in? I was in a group with Miho and Bakura, causing Honda to send frequent death glares at us.

I parted ways with the others when the class ended. I found myself heading into the core classes such as math and science. Now that I had my books, the teachers cracked down upon me, not letting me have any slack. Needless to say, I was working hard all day, so I was glad when recess came around.

As everyone but Yuugi, Honda, Jonouchi, Anzu, Miho, Bakura, and some other girl left the room, I reclined back in my desk, attempting to get a little extra sleep. However, I was destined to get nothing of the kind.

I was jarred into wakefulness when an official looking man dressed in a business suit entered the room. I was instantly alert, and I planned to make a bolt for it should the man be looking for me.

"Excuse me ma'am," prompted the official, getting Chouno's attention. The woman was enraged.

"Excuse you indeed! How dare you enter MY classroom without announcing yourself first?!" Chouno demanded. The official didn't flinch. He pulled out several envelopes from his suit pocket.

"Are the students Luna Nocturnalis, Katsuya Jonouchi, Yuugi Mutou, Ryou Bakura, and Raphiel Onyx in this class?" the official asked, ignoring Chouno's outburst. The formerly mentioned students and I looked at the man in surprise. Who was this man, and what did he want with us?

"Yes, they are in the back of the room," Chouno answered, still steaming at the official's indifference to her anger. The official thanked her and strode down the aisle until he reached us.

"Which of you are the students I'm looking for?" the man demanded. Yuugi, Jonouchi, and I introduced ourselves to the official. His expression didn't change, but he did hand us one envelope each. They had our names on them. Then the official walked over to Bakura and the other girl in the room and handed them one as well. That seemed to be all he wanted, and he soon left the room.

"An envelope? I wonder what's in it?" Yuugi whispered excitedly. I was curious too, so I ripped my envelope open. A letter and a slip of paper fell out. Grabbing the letter, I unfolded it and read it.

_"Dear Raphiel Onyx,_

_Upon receiving this letter, you are formally invited to attend Black Rock Island Tournament, where your skill as a duelist will be tested against many other duelists much like yourselves._

_Entrance is free, and transportation will be provided to the tournament area. On the date of January 18, all duelists intending to participate must assemble inside Booth 5 of Domino City Airport. _

_The slip of paper contained within this letter is an entrance ticket, which will allow you to participate in the tournament. Also written upon it is your duelist code. Remember this, because you will not be issued another one._

_The ten duelists remaining after the preliminaries will then be allowed to enter the finals. The prize for winning the tournament is four million yen and a chance to duel against the Master of Duels._

_I hope to see you there,_

_Notiro Obsidian."_

As I read, a grin spread across my face. I haven't been to a tournament in quite some time, so this one appealed to the duelist in me. I grabbed my ticket and pocketed it in my jeans. I was definitely going.

"Four million yen?!" Jonouchi exclaimed. "I'm going!"

`"Jonouchi-kun, there's more to this tournament than the money…" Yuugi muttered, but nobody paid any attention.

"Interesting," I said, drawing the attention of the others. "I'll attend."

"It sounds exciting! Honda-kun, Miho-chan, Anzu, what do you think?" Yuugi affirmed, looking to the others.

"Miho is intrigued and she would simply love to come along," Miho replied enthusiastically.

"I would be delighted to keep you all company," Honda spoke up almost immediately after Miho spoke. I resisted the urge to smack him. Then I remembered that there were two others in the room who received envelopes.

"Bakura-kun, you play Duel Monsters?" I inquired, getting the white haired boy's attention.

"Of course! I enjoy playing any type of game!" Bakura replied. I noticed the girl sitting behind him rising from her seat. She strode elegantly over to me. I looked her over, as I had never noticed her before.

She possessed hair so blonde, it was almost white, that extended down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were a radiant blue. In fact, it was very rare to see eyes as pure and bright as hers. Her skin was somewhat pale, as if she had lived inside for most of her life. It didn't diminish her appearance however. I have no interest in her whatsoever, but I will say that she was incredibly cute.

"So, Raphiel, it seems you possess a deck yourself," the girl said. When she noticed my confusion at her sudden appearance, she laughed softly.

"I'm sorry. My name is Luna Nocturnalis," she continued. I stopped myself for a second. Did she omit the –kun at the end of my name? Did…_she_…have an interest in me? Well, if that was the case, then I'd have to disappoint her. I'm not interested in any type of relationship.

"Nice to meet you, Luna-chan," I replied.

"No need to call me chan. We're both American," Luna replied, smiling. I started at this. Then I considered. This made sense, because she was the only one so far who DIDN'T have crazy hair. Therefore, she MUST be American.

"That may be so, but everyone else will get the wrong idea," I whispered, making sure no one else heard me. Luna laughed aloud, and then she brushed her hair away from her face.

"If you insist. Anyway, I was going to ask you if you brought your deck," Luna pressed. I grinned. Was this girl asking for a duel? If so, then she's going to get one. I responded by pulling out my deck from my pocket and placing it on the desk.

"Excellent! I could use a duel to test my skills. I'm afraid I'm a little rusty," the blonde giggled, and then she took out her own deck. She arranged the desk in front of me so that we had room to duel.

"Hey! They're going to duel!" Jonouchi called to the others. Yuugi and his friends soon clustered around the two of us as we shuffled our decks.

"I'm not going to go easy on you," I told her, my voice neutral. We traded decks and cut them accordingly.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Luna replied, her voice confident. Hmm, she definitely was asking to be crushed.

We played a simple game of rock paper scissors. She ended up winning, so she chose to go first. Good, I prefer going second anyway. I then began to draw five cards.

My first card was an Acid Trap Hole. Good, that could be used to fend off Luna's monsters should I find myself lacking in monsters. Like I was LAST TIME!

My second was a Torrential Tribute. Another trap card. God, please give me a freaking monster!

My third…was my trump card. My ultimate, favorite card: the Dark Magician. With an attack 0f 2500 and a defense of 2100, it was easily the most reliable card on in my deck. However it was useless now without two monsters to sacrifice.

My fourth was a normal monster card called Nuvia the Wicked. I lucked out here, because I now had something to defend myself. It had an attack of 2000 and a defense of 800. Obviously, I was going to keep it in attack mode.

My last card was Beckon to Darkness, a useful card that my friends in America hated. It could whisk away a monster off of my opponent's field and place in the graveyard, where it couldn't affect me.

It was Luna's turn, so I watched her expression intently as she drew her five cards. She showed no emotion, so I couldn't read her very well. Dammit, why is everyone in Japan so hard to read?

"I will place this continuous spell card on the field, Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen," Luna announced, placing the card on the field face up. I leaned forward to inspect it. Hmm, it seemed that she could use this card to summon one monster from her hand once per turn if she controlled no monster. Hmm, this could be dangerous, because she now would be able to summon her strongest monsters on the first turn!

"I will now summon use this card's effect to special summon Cyber Dragon down on the field in attack mode and end my turn!" Luna concluded, placing the monster on the field. I looked at it, confirming my suspicions. Luna had summoned a level five monster without tributing any monsters. Cyber Dragon had an attack of 2100, but I wasn't worried.

I drew another card to reveal my other favorite monster, King of Yamimakai. However, it was no good now unless Nuvia could last for one turn. However, my move was clear to me.

"I will place a card down, and I will summon Nuvia the Wicked in attack mode. Turn over." I declared, placing Torrential Tribute face down on the field, while placing Nuvia in front of it. Now, if she tried to attack, I would annihilate her monsters.

Luna drew her next card and smiled. Crap, that can't be good.

"I will summon Nova Summoner in attack mode and end my turn," she said, passing the nonexistent baton to me. Nova Summoner was an effect monster that could summon a monster with an attack of 1500 of less from her deck if I were to kill it. That being said, no monster with that kind of attack could touch Nuvia, but I couldn't risk her summoning a monster that had an even more deadly effect.

I drew a card to find Raigeki. Hmm, this could prove useful. I could use it on both of her monsters now and attack her life points directly, but I decided to play it safe and save it for an even stronger monster.

"I will sacrifice Nuvia the Wicked in order to bring out King of Yamimakai and end my turn," I stated, replacing the card on the field with the stronger one.

"Careful, Luna-chan. He used that card to beat me!" Yuugi spoke up, before he was quickly hushed by Anzu. I flashed a quick smile in thanks to Anzu.

"I'm not worried," Luna replied, drawing her next card. I scoffed at this. You have to dumb if you didn't take me seriously. Of course, that would sound egotistical, but heck, you were watching when I beat Yuugi!

"I will summon Herald of Orange Light to the field in attack mode, and then I will sacrifice all of the monsters on the field in order to summon Thought Ruler Archfiend to the field in attack mode!" Luna cried. I was impressed as she brought out a powerful synchro monster with an attack of 2700 and a defense of 2300. Of course, I'd trash it if she were to attack.

"Is it just me or does my deck suck in comparison to these two?" Jonouchi commented.

"It's just you. Your deck sucks overall," Honda quipped, enraging the blonde.

"Why you, I oughta knock you out!" Jonouchi yelled.

"Be quiet, I want to listen to the duel, not your bickering!" Anzu interrupted, shutting them both up.

"I activate the magic card, Heavy Storm!" Luna declared, throwing the card on the field. I gasped as I realized what was going to happen. Heavy Storm annihilates all magic or trap cards on the field, rendering my Torrential Tribute worthless! Now she had an open route to my King of Yamimakai! I sighed and removed my trap card from the field. On the plus side, Luna had to remove her Valhalla card.

"Thought Ruler Archfiend attacks your King of Yamimakai and destroys it, reducing your life points to seven thousand and nine hundred and increasing mine to ten thousand and six hundred," Luna continued, pushing her card forward. "My turn is over."

"What?!" I exclaimed. I looked at her card and found out to my surprise that her card allowed her to gain life points equal to the destroyed monster's original attack. Therefore her life points increased by 2600. Maybe this was going to be harder than I thought.

Scratch that last statement, because the card I just drew makes everything a piece of cake. It was the same card that I used to defeat Yuugi, and now it would help me defeat Luna.

I closed my eyes and smirked, letting everyone know that I had something up my sleeve. I held it up and let it fall to the table face up. The others gasped as they remembered what it was.

"I summon Thousand Eyes Restrict in attack mode. Its effect takes on the form of your Thought Ruler Archfiend and powers it up two levels," I explained, grinning widely as I took her strong card and placed it on top of mine. Thus its already high attack went up to 3300. "Now I will attack your life points directly and end my turn."

Luna's expression remained neutral as her life points dropped to 7300. I was a bit disturbed by this. Maybe she had something to retaliate with? I couldn't imagine what, but I should keep my guard up.

Luna drew her next card, and then she promptly placed it on the field. It was another Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen.

"I will use this card's effect to summon a monster in defense mode," Luna declared. "My turn is over."

I drew my next card. It was a Summoned Skull. I can't summon it now, because I'd have to sacrifice my Thousand Eyes Restrict, and there's no way in hell I' m doing that.

"I will activate this magic card, Beckon to Darkness," I stated simply. Luna's eyes fell; she knew what that card was. I picked up her defending monster and put it in her graveyard. "Then I will attack your life points directly again and end my turn."

I smirked as her life points dropped to 4000. This duel was finished unless Luna could pull out a trump card.

Luna drew her next card and then promptly activated it.

"I activate Brain Control to take control of your Thousand Eyes Restrict!" Luna cried, and she did just that. I winced as she attacked my life points with my own monster. My life points plummeted all the way down to 4700. Well, she's only prolonging the inevitable.

I grabbed the next card to see my old friend, La Jinn. With this I could finish Luna off.

"I summon La Jinn, the Mystical Genie of the Lamp in attack mode, and then I attack with both monsters to end the duel," I concluded, pushing both cards forward.

"Oh, I guess my light deck wasn't as good as I thought," Luna mused, a smile on her face. "Thanks for defeating me now, instead of at the tournament. Now I can use this time to reinforce my deck."

"Good idea. You have no idea how long it took me to reinforce this deck enough to get it where it is today," I commented, gathering up all of my cards on the field and reshuffling them into my deck.

"I can't wait until the tournament!" Yuugi exclaimed, his eyes shining in excitement. I sighed. The guy acts like a little kid.

"It starts tomorrow, according to the date, so we had best pack tonight," I advised him. Yuugi nodded.

"I'm going too! Do you mind if I hang out with you guys?" Bakura asked, his face set in a hopeful expression. I almost groaned. If this was going the way I thought it was, then Honda, Miho, Anzu, Yuugi, Luna, Jonouchi, AND Bakura were all going to be following me around at the tournament.

"Miho is wondering who this Obsidian is," Miho mused, bringing everyone's attention to her. She may wonder, but I don't. I couldn't care less who runs the damn tournament. All I care about is the chance to face some challenging duelists. Unlike these people surrounding me.

"Good point. I've never heard of such a man," Yuugi mused. But…they were going to rant about it anyway. God I can't stand these people sometimes.

"Does it really matter? He's just sponsoring the tournament, it's not like it will affect us directly," Bakura asked. THANK YOU, Bakura. I hate him a little less now.

"Don't you think it would be beneficial to know who's in charge?" Honda returned.

"Not really," Bakura dismissed.

"I agree with Bakura-kun. We should worry about it later," I added, much to Bakura's surprise. I bet he didn't expect me to agree.

"If you say so, Raphiel-kun. Anyway, class is about to start," Yuugi concluded. I sighed as the bell rang. Recess, as usual, was too damn short.

So my school day commenced. The next two classes were some of my best. History and English were always my best classes, unlike everyone else in the freaking world. I just enjoyed history, especially Egyptian culture and mythology. I liked English merely because I was good at it and everybody else sucked. It made me feel somewhat smart.

When school ended, it felt like a heavy load had been lifted off of my shoulders. When I was in school, I was usually determined to do well and get on the good side of every teacher, so it was rather stressful when I had to think about my every move and study technique. It was just relieving when I was free from that situation.

I walked through the school to my dorm. However, something was wrong. The light was on in the bottom floor. Who the HELL was in MY dorm?!

I slammed the door open angrily. If there was a thief in my dorm, then I was going to kill him. However, instead of a random thief, I saw Bakura setting up his stuff in my room.

"What are you doing in my dorm, Bakura-kun?" I demanded, barely keeping my voice civil. Bakura looked up in surprise at my entrance.

"Raphiel-kun! I didn't know you were in this dorm too," he stammered. I crossed my arms and waited for him to continue. Oh for the love of…if he was doing what I think he was doing…

"I…I was just transferred to this dorm today, on authority of Chouno-sensei," Bakura explained. I sighed in exasperation. Was the world determined NOT to let me have any alone time? These people bother me in class, during duels, and now I can't even be alone in my own FREAKING DORM!

"Is that a problem?" Bakura asked timidly.

"No, it's fine," I lied, placing my school books on my desk. Hell it wasn't fine. You're lucky I don't just throw you out, you albino freak! Of course, I can't say this to his face, because I was determined to uphold my "nice guy" reputation. I guess I was just going to have to live with it.

Ignoring him, I brought out my suitcase and began to pack for tomorrow's tournament. I wasn't sure how long the tournament would be lasting, so I packed five sets of clothing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bakura getting ready for bed. As he removed his shirt, I noticed a strange pendant around his neck. It was a brass ring with a triangle in the middle. Inscribed on the triangle was a strange eye. Dangling from the lower half of the ring were four brass spikes.

"That's an interesting pendant. Is it Egyptian?" I asked. I was curious about its origin, so I had to know. Bakura looked up in surprise.

"This? Oh it's my Millennium Ring. My father bought it for me when he was in Egypt," Bakura answered. So it was Egyptian. That explained the strange, menacing eye.

"Intriguing," I mused sincerely. I would have liked to know more about it, but I kept my mouth shut.

My deck, as usual, I placed on the bottom of my closet. I also made sure to grab anything else I might need on this trip. I love it: only two days of school and I'm already going on a field trip.

When I was finished, I laid down on my bed. When Bakura was done getting ready, he turned out the lights and got onto the bunk across the room from me.

"Are you nervous?" Bakura asked suddenly, startling me.

"What about?" I replied, staring at the ceiling absently.

"The tournament," he clarified.

"Not at all. I'm looking forward to facing some skilled duelists," I answered, wondering what Bakura was getting at. I don't get nervous. Eventually this group will know that.

"Wow. I wish I had your confidence," Bakura muttered. Again, I almost groaned. Was he having a mental breakdown? If he was, I wasn't in the mood for it. But then again, if I just ignored him, then I would feel bad. Damn my conscience!

"Don't worry, Bakura-kun. Look at this as a chance to improve by watching other duelists play. As you view their tactics, apply them to yours and use them to strengthen your deck and your strategy," I assured him, attempting to make my voice sound gentle.

" Thanks, But what if I lose?" Bakura replied. I sighed. This guy really needed some real friends, not a cynic like me.

"Then you can learn from your defeat and use it to make yourself a better duelist," I continued. "Besides, you have the rest of us by your side."

I can't believe I just freaking said that. Now I feel like he needs a stupid friendship speech. Would you like that, Bakura? DO YOU WANT A FRIENDSHIP SPEECH?!

Bakura smiled slightly, assured by my words. Hey, maybe cheesy lines you get off of TV shows really DO work! God I feel embarrassed.

"Thanks, Raphiel-kun. You're a real pal," he said, and then he turned over in his bed. "Good night."

"Good night," I responded. A real pal? This guy really needs to learn that I am not friendship material. Everyone I hang out with always seems to get hurt.

Sleep soon overcame me, and I fell into a dreamless sleep.

INVITATION INVITATION INVITATION INVITATION INVITATION INVITATION INVITATION INVITATION

Very little light was able to pierce through the thick window curtains. Therefore, the bedroom was perpetually dark. A man sat at his desk, enjoying the darkness, as it suited him.

Long had he been forced to sit in this godforsaken room, thanks to that boy's father. Now, he finally had a chance to turn the tables.

The man was jolted out of his thoughts as there was a knock at his door.

"Come in," he said in a deep, menacing voice. The door opened to reveal the man's personal secretary.

"Sir, your invitations have been successfully delivered to the students," the secretary informed him. The man let himself show a smile. However, since his face was unused to the expression, it came out looking sinister.

"Good. I trust that preparations are complete?" the man asked.

"Yes sir. The tournament will begin on schedule," the secretary finished. The man was satisfied, and he reclined back in his chair.

"Then let the games….begin."

INVITATION INVITATION INVITATION INVITATION INVITATION INVITATION INVITATION INVITATION

I think you can probably guess who the man at the bottom is. If you can't, then get off of fanfiction and get a glass of cold water. Then come back and try again. XD

There was another duel, yes. Of course, Raphiel wins again. I don't know why the random number Generator (RNG) is giving him crappy hands, because in the video game I was able to destroy everything with this deck. Except for maybe reshef. But then again, that god had 60000 life points. That's just not fair.

I like Bakura, so rest assured, you WILL be seeing some of his alter ego.

Later,

Terran34


	4. Airport Bound

Welcome to another chapter! Sorry that it took so long. My parents confiscated my computer when this chapter was halfway done, so I lost all of the files to her. I was unwilling to rewrite, because all of the information I needed to do any of the duels was on that computer too. I had to sneak into the basement and extract the files I needed when they weren't looking. I was a ninja.

I was thinking of writing in Dark Bakura in this chapter, but I decided against it. I'm planning on Bakura being Raphiel's closest friend, but if Dark Bakura shows up too soon, that will never happen.

Disclaimer: I have no intention of stealing this franchise for my own. I couldn't even if I wanted to. Screw your money, I have rules! Wait let me try that again…

PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE

My alarm woke me at the usual time. I yawned and sat up in bed. Wiping the sleep from my eyes, I remembered that the tournament started today.

I glanced over to the bunk next to me to see Bakura sleeping fitfully. Apparently he hadn't heard my alarm. Sigh, that meant I had to wake him up. I should just leave him here and reduce the amount of guys following me by one, but I'm not that mean.

I got out of bed and walked over to him. I shook him lightly, calling his name. Bakura opened his eyes reluctantly.

"Wassa matter?" the teen murmured. Then he remembered and sat up. "Oh yeah! The tournament is today!"

I stood to the side as Bakura rose from his bed. Then I went over to my closet and began to dress myself. I put on a pair of khaki jeans and a black shirt. Ha, I just realized something. Half of my wardrobe is black. Like it matters. I LIKE black okay?

"Are you ready, Bakura-kun?" I asked impatiently. I had finished all of my packing last night, so I was ready to go.

"Almost. I just have some last minute packing to do," he informed me. I sighed. He should have done it last night. Then I realized something else. I'm not responsible for him, so why the hell am I waiting for him.

"All right, I'm going to go on ahead. Meet you at the airport," I told Bakura, and then I left the dorm, wheeling my luggage behind me.

Bakura frantically threw the rest of his stuff in his suitcase and streaked out the door after me.

"Wait for meee!" the teen wailed, running to catch up with me. I sighed. Apparently I 'm destined to get no alone time whatsoever in this freaking trip.

As we walked, I pulled out a map of Domino City from my pocket. According to it, the airport is….at the other side of the freaking city. Go figure.

"I hope you don't mind getting some exercise. We've got quite a walk ahead of us," I informed Bakura.

"What? How far?" the teen asked. I handed him the map. The…what do I call him? Blonde? Whitey? Screw that, I'll just call him blonde. The blonde took the map and scanned over it for a second.

"Awww," Bakura complained. "Oh well."

We walked in silence down the shortest path. I liked the silence, because it gave me a chance to think about the tournament. I was hoping that all of the best duelists would be there. If anything, I was DYING to test myself against Seto Kaiba. Even when I was back in America, I had heard much about his skills over the internet.

"Maybe we should meet up with Yuugi-kun and the others?" Bakura suggested, interrupting my thoughts. I sighed. That was the last thing I wanted to do.

"They are probably ahead of us by now. Let's just keep going," I replied. Bakura pouted, and we kept walking. My feet began to twinge uncomfortably. Damn this city and its large distances and…and…ARGH!

"Hey, Bakura-kun! Raphiel-kun!" cried a familiar voice from behind us. I turned around to see Yuugi, Jonouchi, Anzu, Miho, Honda, and Luna emerge from around an intersection. I wanted to keep walking, but it seems fate did not want me to remain alone.

"Yuugi-kun! Guys!" Bakura cried, running to join them. I let my luggage rest on the ground and crossed my arms. I remained still as they greeted one another. Then the group caught up to me and we resumed walking.

"Did you have a good night's sleep, Raphiel-kun?" Yuugi asked, looking up at me. Man, what a useless question. It's obvious I did, or I would be the walking dead right now. Even a simple "what's up" would have been better.

"Yes, thank you," I replied succinctly. However, it didn't seem Yuugi was going to leave it at that.

"After you defeated me, I remade my deck! See, look at this card!" Yuugi continued. Then he pulled his deck out of his shirt pocket and took a random card out and showed it to me. Interested, I leaned down to look at it.

Hmm, it was Curse of Dragon, a pretty strong Dragon-Type monster with an attack of 2000, and a defense of 1500. It wasn't a bad card, but it required one tribute, which immediately made it inferior to my Level 4 monsters, which had the same attack but required no tributes.

"That is a nice card, especially when used right," I told him, rising again. Yuugi smiled and put it back in his deck.

"He showed you Curse of Dragon, didn't he?" Jonouchi yelled from behind me, where he had been talking to Honda. When I nodded, Jonouchi sighed. "Yuugi kicked my ass with that card this morning."

"Ha! Nothing new then," Honda remarked.

"Well, why don't YOU play him then, if you're so good?" Jonouchi demanded, clenching his fist. I sighed and kept walked, Yuugi keeping pace at my side.

"Miho swears, you two are just like little children," Miho sighed at their antics. This caused Jonouchi to quail under the evil glare Honda was giving him.

"Are we almost there, Raphiel-kun?" Bakura asked, catching up to Yuugi and me. I unfolded the map and looked.

"Just about," I informed him, pointing. "It's just ahead."

"All right!" Jonouchi cried jubilantly. Domino City Airport loomed in the distance. We soon became able to hear many planes taking off and landing.

I groaned as I noticed the large crowd outside the entrance to the airport. I HATE crowds. But I guess it was to be expected. It IS a tournament after all.

"Is that the line?" Jonouchi shouted. Honda elbowed him in the side, so that the blonde shut up.

I decided to find out for sure and walked up to a random person in the crowd. I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Excuse me; is this the line for the Black Rock Island Tournament?" I asked.

"What? No. That starts further in," the man informed me. I thanked him and relayed the information to the others.

"Oh whew!" Anzu sighed, relieved. "I thought we were going to have to wait in that!"

I too was relieved, but I still had to push through the crowd. I was somewhat skinny, so I swiftly squeezed through the smallest gaps until I was just outside the entrance.

"How the hell does he do that?" I heard Jonouchi say as Honda and he shoved their way unceremoniously through the crowd.

"Jonouchi-kun….you should say excuse me…" Yuugi trailed off, watching his friend blunder through. I chuckled slightly to myself. I had quite the weird bunch of leeches latch on to me. Leeches latch? Try saying THAT five times fast.

"I wonder if Kaiba-kun will be here," I muttered as the others regrouped around me. Unfortunately, Yuugi had heard me.

"Kaiba-kun? Knowing his reputation, he should have been. Why?" Yuugi replied, looking up at me curiously. Damn him. Now I had to answer his nosy question.

"I wish to test myself against his skills. A duel with him would help me determine how far I have left to go," I answered solemnly as we entered the airport. Honda and Jonouchi walked directly behind us, arguing about something I didn't care about. Luna was chatting quietly with Bakura behind them, and Miho and Anzu were in the back.

"Until what?" Yuugi pressed. I sighed as he continued to nose into my personal goals. By rights, I should just say screw you; I have a right to my secrets. However, there was something about this guy that told me that I could trust him.

"Until I reach the top," I finished, answering his question while at the same time keeping my real goal secret. Yuugi nodded.

Soon, we came in sight of our booth. Duelists filled the booth to the bursting point, and yet there were still some outside the room. I looked around, but I didn't see any that I recognized. Unfortunately, Kaiba was nowhere in sight.

"Another crowd? Dammit!" Jonouchi cursed as we were forced to wait just outside the booth. I reclined against a nearby wall, and Yuugi went off to chat with Honda. Luna went to join Miho and Anzu for their girl talk or whatever the hell girls talk about when they're all alone. Left alone, Bakura came over to join…me. Dammit.

"Do you think we'll be forced to duel each other?" Bakura asked me, leaning against the wall like me. God I hope so. I would enjoy crushing them all with my deck. Of course, I didn't know what Yuugi had in his new deck, but I wasn't particularly worried.

"It's possible," I replied simply. Bakura paled.

"I…I don't want to duel you," the blonde stammered. I smiled grimly. I liked it when people feared me in any way. Bakura, I might just be starting to like you.

"We won't be dueling against each other," Yuugi said, overhearing us. The group all converged around Bakura and I. "We will stick together and support one another so that at least one of us will make it into the finals."

"…and then we will worry about dueling each other," Jonouchi finished. "May the best duelist win, I always say."

"With my new, reinforced light deck, I think I stand a chance now!" Luna proclaimed. Are you kidding, girl? I wiped the floor with you in a very short time.

"We all must try our best, I suppose," Bakura added.

Just then, a loud whistle screeched through the booth. I covered my ears and grunted in pain. That was unnecessarily loud. We all looked up to see a suited official step out from the tunnel and look at the crowd of duelists.

"The plane is ready for loading. Please file aboard in a safe and orderly manner," the official stated. I sighed as everyone in the room, including Yuugi and his friends, cheered loudly. Everyone except Bakura. I looked at him strangely. The blonde was gazing down at the floor, his arms crossed and his bangs covering his eyes. His lips were curved in a sinister looking grin, which was weird for him.

"Bakura-kun? Are you all right?" I whispered to him. The blonde looked up at me, his face back his normal, innocent looking face.

"What? Yeah," Bakura answered, smiling cheerfully. I nodded and looked back at the now moving crowd. Guess I was just imagining things.

I gazed at the people moving down the tunnel. No one of any importance was visible, so I turned my eyes down.

"All right! Let's get this party started!" Jonouchi yelled, following the crowd towards the tunnel. I let myself fall to the back of the group with Bakura.

As I looked forward towards the tunnel again, I instantly spotted a familiar figure with short brown hair and dressed in a flowing, dark blue overcoat. I stopped dead in my tracks, and I let a grin steal across my face.

Seto Kaiba was boarding the plane.

Soon, we reached the tunnel and began to board the plane. I was excited out of my mind now. It was pretty much guaranteed that I was going to duel Kaiba now. I was looking forward to it so bad, I could scarcely think about anything else. If I managed to beat him in a fair duel, then maybe…just maybe…I'd stand a chance of beating my f...but you don't need to know about that.

"You seem happy, Raphiel-kun," Bakura commented. We were both in the back of the crowd, behind the three girls, so now it was easy to hear him.

"I'm just happy to be leaving," I lied. Bakura was an okay kid, I guess, but he didn't need to know about my personal life.

When we stepped onto the plane, I was surprised at the quality of the interior. The seats were all padded with high quality leather, and the luggage compartments were huge and opened outwards. Apparently whoever set this up had a lot of money to throw around. I noticed Kaiba heading straight towards the back of the plane, so I pushed past the girls and Yuugi and headed straight for him.

"Where are you going, Raphiel-kun?" Yuugi exclaimed as I moved past him.

"I'm just trying to get to some free seats! I'm sick of standing!" I lied again. God, I have to stop doing that.

"Wait for meeee!" Bakura whined, running after me. I grunted in response.

The good thing was, I had an excuse to get by them, because the first couple compartments were chock full already. First class seats were reserved for the officials, apparently.

I spotted Kaiba sitting down near the very back. Yuugi and Jonouchi sat next to one another nearby, but not near enough to spot the teenage billionaire. Kaiba was five rows back and to the right of where Yuugi chose to sit. Anzu and Luna sat behind them, and Honda finally got his way and got to sit next to Miho. She sent me another look, but I ignored it. Bakura made as if he wanted to sit with me behind them, but I ignored him and went straight to Kaiba's seat. Bakura stared at me in confusion, and let out a small cry as he spotted Kaiba. Then he went back to tell the others.

I ignored him, loaded up my luggage in the upper compartment, and sat right next to the teenage billionaire. This surprised Kaiba greatly, because he looked up and locked eyes with me.

"Do I know you?" Kaiba demanded. I was feeling honored and yet somewhat apprehensive as I regarded the legendary Seto Kaiba, the reigning Duel Monsters champion.

"No, but I know you, Kaiba-sama," I replied, making sure to keep my tone respectful. Kaiba nodded in recognition at the respectful honorific I attached to him, and then he proceeded to look me up and down.

"Are you one of those fans who constantly clamor for my autograph?" Kaiba asked. "I will have to ask you to leave if you are."

"Not at all. I have no interest in your autograph," I continued, smiling very slightly. This was going better than I expected. I was expecting him to stand up and say get the hell away from me. This was a little better than that…but only a little.

"Then what DO you want?" Kaiba demanded irritably.

"I merely wanted to get to know one of my most potentially challenging opponents," I answered pensively, not knowing how this guy would react. At best, I was expecting him to laugh. There was a silence as Kaiba regarded me in surprise. Then, to my pleasant surprise, the teenage billionaire let a confident smile slip across his face.

"My, you are a tenacious one," Kaiba observed. "I believe I may enjoy making your acquaintance. Let me formally introduce myself. I am Seto Kaiba, head of the Kaiba Corporation."

"Pleased to finally meet you, Kaiba-sama. I am Raphiel Onyx, from America," I replied, accepting his hand and shaking it.

"America," Kaiba scoffed. I frowned. It was indeed true that some Japanese people disliked Americans. I guess Kaiba was one of them.

"I left America for Japan because of the extremely low quality of the duelists there," I told him honestly. Kaiba looked at me and nodded understandingly.

"So you aim to face me?" Kaiba asked, getting straight to the point.

"Absolutely," I answered instantly. "I have been waiting for the opportunity for a long time."

Kaiba regarded me for a long second, as if he was trying to determine how strong of a duelist I was. I presented him with my most determined, confident face. This was the one I was determined to duel, and defeat.

"I like you, Raphiel-kun. I look forward to facing you," Kaiba said after a silence. Then, the moment was ruined by Jonouchi angrily storming up to us and sitting down right across from us.

"Raphiel-kun, what the HELL are you doing here, sitting next to _Kaiba-kun _of all people?" the angry blonde demanded. I was confused for a second. What did Jonouchi have against Kaiba?

"Don't worry, Jonouchi-kun. Raphiel-san was just leaving," Kaiba interrupted. I stood up and walked over to Jonouchi. I wasn't bitter towards Kaiba, because I knew how he was from the internet: very anti-social.

I looked back at Kaiba as Jonouchi attempted to drag me away. He nodded at me respectfully. Then I realized the honorific that the teenage billionaire had referred to me as: san. Looks like I got off on the right foot.

"What the hell, Raphiel-kun?" Jonouchi raged, still trying to pull me. I shook him off indignantly and followed him manually back to the others.

"What is your grievance with Kaiba-kun?" I shot back. Don't tell me they were going to yell at me for attempting to befriend Kaiba…

"Maybe because he's a complete asshole?" the blonde countered. "He tore up Yuugi's grandfather's treasured Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"I know that!" I said, glaring back. "And you don't have the right to tell me who I should avoid or who I should befriend!"

Jonouchi, as well as the rest of my "friends" stared in surprise and fear as I uttered this last statement.

"S...sorry, Raphiel-kun, I didn't mean to upset you," Jonouchi apologized, sitting back in his seat next to Yuugi. I grunted in response and seated myself next to Bakura, who seemed happy to have me back at his side.

There was an announcement, and the plane shuddered to life. I strapped on my seatbelt, and watched the others do the same. I felt pretty good about my talk with Kaiba, and I was ready to start dueling. However, I had somewhere around 2 to 3 hours of a wait. I reached into my pocket and extricated my Zune, which had plenty of American music to keep me happy. I put in my earphones and flicked on some Evanescence. As the plane rose from the ground, I reflected on the events of the past few days. I had only been in school for a little while, and I was already on a tournament. Apparently this Obsidian guy knew of my arrival in Japan fairly quickly.

As soon as the pressure in my ears began, the music playing in my ears soon put me to sleep.

PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE PLANE

Finally! I've finished another chapter! Yeah, Raphiel got a little touchy, but he likes knowing his opponent before fighting him.

Oh and, if anyone reading this would like to draw me a picture of Raphiel, I would be very appreciative. I would post it on my website and give you full credit. Raphiel is fairly tall, with shoulder height black hair. He has bright blue eyes and a handsome face with an intense facial expression present. He always wears blue jeans with a black shirt. The designs are yours to make. Upload them to imageshack and pm me the direct link! Thanks!

Oh, and review please!


	5. Black Rock Island

Since my greatest fan is bugging me and bugging me, I'm practically writing nonstop in order to please her never ending madness.

I am planning on bringing all of the old characters from the show in here for Raphiel to duel. Of course, I will have to document the duels of the others, so I will be spending a significant amount of time on this island. However, the duels will be easier now that I discovered a list shuffler. Then I can just plug in all of the cards in each person's deck, click a button, and that will be the order of the cards drawn! So much better than freaking dice. Suck it, Ryuji! (Duke Devlin for you 4kids watchers )

Disclaimer: I have no intention of stealing this franchise for my own. I couldn't even if I wanted to….because MY game uses dice.

BLACK ROCK BLACK ROCK BLACK ROCK BLACK ROCK BLACK ROCK BLACK ROCK BLACK ROCK BLACK ROCK

I slowly became conscious as my body detected a drop in altitude, therefore a lessening of pressure. I sighed quietly, as I was not yet ready to wake. I kept my eyes closed, and merely listened, for I was sure I had a few minutes until we landed.

"You did put the Summoned Skull card I gave you in your deck, right Jonouchi-kun?" I heard Yuugi say. Interesting. It seems both Yuugi and I have the Summoned Skull. But why would he give it to Jonouchi?

"Of course! If I fuse that with my Red-Eyes, then nothing will be able to stop it!" Jonouchi replied. I almost laughed at his stupidity. You shouldn't spout off about what cards you have in your deck, since you never know who might be listening.

So now I knew Jonouchi had both the Summoned Skull and Red-Eyes Black Dragon in his deck, and was planning to fuse them into the Black Skull Dragon. What a fool. You think that any normal duelist would let you get both of those monsters on the field at once? I would destroy them with my high level monsters as soon as they were summoned.

However, I was interested in how he acquired such rare cards. I didn't think that there was going to be an Ante Rule on this tournament, but if there was…then I was going to take that Black Skull Dragon after I beat him.

"How's your light deck coming along?" Anzu's clear voice sounded from two rows up. I heard a shuffling sound and the familiar grating sound of cards.

"I'm adding more synchro monsters to the mix. Next time I fight Raphiel, I'm going to win!" Luna replied confidently. I chuckled quietly to myself. Keep on dreaming, girl. You don't stand a chance against me.

"Ahh, this is the best! Right, Miho-chan?" Honda piped up from in front of me.

"Yeah!" Miho replied. Suddenly, a soft chime echoed throughout the plane, and the fasten seat belt light flickered on. I sensed Bakura moving next to me, assumedly trying to wake me up. My eyes shot open just as his hand was reaching my arm.

"Oh, you're awake, Raphiel-kun," Bakura stammered, removing his arm. I stretched and yawned, returning my body to full awareness. Only after I had finished returning the life to my body did I look at Bakura.

"Of course. I wouldn't miss this for the world," I replied smoothly. Bakura smiled happily as I said this.

I gazed out the window to see us very near the ground. From what I could see of the island, it was an immense tropical landscape, covered in forests and fast flowing rivers. There was a large mountain range cutting straight through the center of the island, with the highest ones tipped with shining snow. The entire island was surrounded by rocky cliffs, all colored black for some strange reason. I guess that's why they called it Black Rock Island. In fact, I can't really call it an island. It was too big. Actually, from here, it was roughly the size of Maryland.

"Wow, it's beautiful!" Miho exclaimed, pressing her face against the window in order to see farther.

"I can't believe we get to duel here!" Yuugi cried in delight. I merely shook my head and crossed my arms. A change of scenery is nice, but dueling is still dueling.

"A change of scenery, that's all," I said, voicing my thoughts. The others peered over their seats to see me.

"What do you mean, Raphiel-kun?" Jonouchi asked, concerned. I shrugged.

"I'm pretty sure we will get sick of merely sitting on the ground playing Duel Monsters, while the wind blows our cards away," I explained, feeling like I was talking to a student.

"You mean…you don't know?" Honda prompted. Confused, I looked around at them all. What was I supposed to know? I remained silent, waiting for them to continue. "Yuugi, he doesn't know about the virtual dueling!"

"What?" I said, still confused, but now a little interested. Jonouchi opened his mouth to answer, but Yuugi cut across him.

"He's American, remember? I think it would be more exciting if he finds out for himself!" Yuugi said, smiling excitedly. I grunted and returned my gaze to the ground.

There was a jolt as the plane touched the ground. Inside, I felt my feelings of anticipation and excitement rise. I was ready to duel.

AS the plane slowed to a stop, the same official who summoned us on board began to talk to us over the loudspeaker.

"Attention all duelists! We have arrived at Black Rock Island. Please depart from the plane in an safe and orderly manner and proceed to the mansion visible just up the hill," the official ordered. I stood up at once, glad to be off my ass for the first time in hours.

"Finally! Let's go, everyone!" Jonouchi exclaimed, already following the now moving crowd of duelists.

"You go ahead of me," I said to Bakura, letting the blonde past. I preferred to be in the back. I grabbed my luggage from the upper compartment and set off. As I followed them, I became aware of Kaiba following from behind me. I ignored him, having already said my piece to him.

"Raphiel-san," Kaiba said suddenly, causing me to stop in my tracks. I turned my head slightly to look at him. "On the island, you and I will duel. But only on one condition."

"Name it," I spat. Kaiba grinned at my vehemence.

"It must be in the finals," the billionaire stated.

"What?" I demanded, outraged that I wasn't going to fight him first.

"You heard me. If we are to duel, then we must both survive to the finals," Kaiba reiterated. With that, the billionaire walked past me. "Good luck."

"Dammit!" I cursed. As the seconds passed, I realized that I had been left behind. Not that I cared. Actually, I kinda liked being alone again. I smiled slightly and began to walk towards the exit of the plane.

To my disappointment, the group was waiting for me outside the plane. Kaiba and the rest of the duelists were already ascending a staircase next to the runway. I could see a mansion in the distance.

"There he is!" Bakura exclaimed, running to my side once again. I looked askance at him. Does he really like me or something? Is that why he's always next to me? Then I cursed mentally as I realized that my cheering him up the other night must have done it. Now the blonde was convinced that I was his friend. Dammit, I knew I should have just let him wallow. Let _him _find out what it feels like.

"Let's go, Raphiel-kun! Let's go and find out what awaits us!" Yuugi said, his voice sounding dramatic. I chuckled quietly at this. I slowly walked down the steps to the airplane and joined them.

"Miho is sooo excited!" Miho cried, running forward up the staircase after the other duelists.

"Wait for me, Miho-chan!" Honda wailed, running pathetically after his crush. Yuugi and Jonouchi looked at one another and laughed good-naturedly. They were the next ones the sprint up the stairs.

"Race you, Anzu-chan!" Luna challenged, and the two girls were up next. I looked at Bakura, who flashed a friendly smile at me.

"Shall we go, Bakura?" I asked. The blonde nodded happily and we walked up the stairs together.

Honestly, I didn't know what to think about Bakura. He was a shy, unstable individual who constantly deals with anxiety. I guess when I helped him that night, he regarded that as me extending a hand of friendship. I…can't deny him that. This may seem strange to you, coming out of my mouth, but Bakura reminded me so much of myself before I decided to leave home. No matter how cold-hearted I may seem, I can't let him down.

I patted Bakura on the back in reassurance, wondering if I was going to regret befriending him. He looked at me in surprise, and I wondered if I'd gone too far. The look on Bakura's face quickly changed into one of sheer happiness, and I felt a little better.

"Come on, Raphiel-kun! We have a tournament to win!" Bakura cried confidently. With that, we ran up the stairs together.

We reunited with the group at the top of the stairs in front of the mansion. The crowd was assembled a reasonable distance away from the decorated doors. They were being held back by a row of suited officials, who were obviously waiting for something.

"Guys, I'm going to get a better angle," I whispered. Yuugi nodded and they began to follow me. I moved over to the side until I had a clear view of the doors. I wanted to see whoever was coming out.

"Welcome to Black Rock Island," an official stated, no emotion audible in his voice. "Now that you are all here, the host wishes to greet you all personally."

A murmur passed through the crowd as the duelists all reacted to this news. Now everyone was silent, breathlessly waiting for the formally mentioned Notiro Obsidian to emerge. Now that the moment was here, I too was curious about this man's identity.

"May we present the owner of Black Rock Island and the head of Mystical Enterprises…Notiro Obsidian!" the official announced, raising his voice. All eyes were fixed on the doors as they slowly began to open. From the darkness within, a figure emerged, walking slowly out into the sunlight.

Notiro Obsidian stepped out into the light, revealing his features. He was an impossibly tall man, reaching to a height of 7'5''. He had dark green, intense eyes, which were staring into the crowd. His lustrous, groomed hair was the color of mine, only far longer: it reached all the way down to his waist. He wore a dark green suit, matching his eyes and complementing his hair perfectly.

"Mystical Enterprises?" Honda whispered.

"Isn't that the company that merged with Industrial Illusions in order to assist financially with the production of both Duel Monsters as well as weapons?" Yuugi asked. I looked at him weirdly. He…just knew all of that off the top of his head? I'd never heard of any company merging with Industrial Illusions. Also…cards AND weapons? What the hell?

"Welcome to my island," Obsidian said formally in a deep, cultured voice. The crowd was absolutely silent as they listened to Obsidian's words. "As you all know, you are here to compete in a Duel Monster's tournament here."

Yeah, we know. Now get to the freaking point before I get bored.

"The rules are as follows," Obsidian began. "Life points start at two thousand. Direct attacks upon the opponents are not allowed under any circumstances. Duels will occur upon special duel rings graciously lent to us by the Kaiba Corporation. Upon winning a duel, the loser must tell you his Duelist Code, which was delivered to each of you in the invitation. The first ten duelists to reach my mansion after obtaining ten Duelist Codes will be allowed in the finals. The time limit for this tournament is three days. When the tournament starts, no duels are allowed in the first five minutes, in which all duelists must scatter around the island. Duel rings are extremely frequent, so you will not have to worry about finding one."

I took all of this information in with a smile. I didn't know what duel rings were, but that didn't matter. I knew that I would have to crush ten duelists within three days. That should be easy, since I didn't have to worry about Kaiba until the finals.

"One more thing before I let you go. I realize that there are those among you who have proven yourselves in earlier tournaments. For those who have won major tournaments, including but not limited to National Tournaments and Corporation Tournaments, an extra rule applies to you. You are forbidden from flaunting your status in public, and you need to collect _fifteen _duelist codes," Obsidian finished. I sighed in relief as I heard this. This made it harder for people like Kaiba to make it into the mansion faster than us. True, I had won tournaments, but I had never been in anything major.

"Also, you may only travel in groups of three in order to prevent clustering and mass dueling in one location," Obsidian added. A ripple of shock passed through the crowd. Jonouchi dropped his luggage in surprise and cursed.

"What? That means we can't travel together!" Honda yelled in anger. I stood back and sighed. We came together in a group of 8, so if we had to go in threes…

"This is BULLSHIT!" Jonouchi screamed. The crowd began to clamor as well. The others looked worried.

Obsidian merely waited until the crowd quieted down.

"I will leave those arrangements to you all," he said in the same deep voice. "Now, let the tournament….BEGIN!"

There was a sound of a bell booming out from within the mansion. The duelists cheered and began to move off as Obsidian retreated inside his mansion.

"So…how will we split up?" Yuugi asked tentatively. Jonouchi's face was red with anger.

"That little bastard! How dare he separate us from our friends!" the blonde shouted.

"Calm down," I said, causing them all to look at me. "Think of this as a challenge. Don't you think it would be interesting if we did things a little different?"

"I guess so," Honda replied, while Jonouchi wasn't convinced.

"Well, since you agree," Luna said. "Let's have you pick the groups, Raphiel-kun!"

"That's actually a good idea, Luna-chan!" Yuugi said. "You tell us who's going with whom!"

I looked at everyone to see that they were looking at me expectantly. Why was I making the decisions? I just wanted Jonouchi to shut up. Heh, now it seemed I was the one in charge. Now, who did I want with me. Bakura was a given, of course. I could think of no one better to have at my side. Now, who else should I take with me? Ah, I'll just pick someone random who's not Jonouchi.

"I want Luna-chan, and Bakura-kun to come with me," I started. Bakura pumped his fist happily in the air remained still, since he was still at my side. Luna smiled and joined Bakura. "Yuugi-kun, you can go with Jonouchi-kun, and Honda-kun."

Jonouchi and Honda walked over to Yuugi, still annoyed that we couldn't all be together. Then I realized something. That left Miho and Anzu, and they couldn't duel, so that would be pointless.

"Since neither Anzu-chan or Miho-chan can duel, I'll take a chance and have both Anzu-chan and Miho-chan go with Yuugi-kun," I said. So the groups were: Me, Bakura, and Luna; and Yuugi, Honda, Jonouchi, Miho, and Anzu.

"See you in three days, Raphiel!" Yuugi cried as their group walked away, choosing to head through the forest.

When they were gone, my group looked at me. I sighed. Are they really going to look at me for leadership? I'm not a leader dammit! Agh, I guess there was nothing for it.

"All right, we're going to head this way," I said, pointing towards the snow capped mountain. We had to pass through some forest, but that was okay.

"All right. You're the leader," Luna agreed, and we set off.

"I'm no leader," I whispered to myself.

Okay, so here's where it gets kind of confusing. Since we split up into two groups, I'm going to divide the story between the two of us, since their duels are just as important as mine. Well, maybe a little less….but still. I'll tell you what Yuugi's group is doing later, after the first duel.

So things passed uneventfully for a long while as we headed towards the mountain. I never saw any other duelists, which was natural, since we all scattered to the four winds and whatever.

I thought food was going to be a problem, but there was plenty of fruit bearing trees and plants. I even saw evidence of gardening, as if this island had been prepared solely for this purpose.

"This place is beautiful!" Luna exclaimed after a few minutes of walking in silence. It was, but I wasn't going to say anything.

"Yeah," Bakura agreed.

"Bakura, what kind of deck do you have?" I asked suddenly, wanted to change the subject to something far less cheesy. He seemed taken aback by the change of subject.

"Well, I like using undead and fiends. My ultimate strategy is the Destiny Board though," Bakura replied. So he had the Destiny Board. That's kind of like Exodia only a little more complicated.

"Destiny Board? Nice, if you have all the cards for it," I replied. Bakura smiled a little at my praise.

"I do! My…friends from my old school helped me get them," Bakura told me. I noticed the pause in his sentence, but said nothing about it. Then I had a sudden idea. I wanted Bakura to get in the finals with me, so the best way to increase his chances of winning was…

"Bakura-kun, take this card," I said, fishing into my pocket and taking out a card from my deck. I had two of them in the deck, plus and extra in my other pocket, so I could afford to give this away. Bakura took the card, confused.

"Yami?" the blonde asked. "It's good, but are you sure you want to give it to me?"

"Of course," I replied warmly. "It will make your undead monsters that much stronger!"

"Thank you so much, Raphiel-kun!" Bakura cried, smiling widely. I felt a little better with myself, seeing him happy.

There was a rustling in the foliage nearby, causing us all to jump.

"What the hell was that?" I demanded, looking around. "Is someone nearby?"

There was more rustling, only now it sounding like someone was walking towards us. Luna grinned for a second, as if she was about to do something reckless.

"Hey, you! Yes, you, whoever's stalking in the bushes! You will be my first opponent!" she cried. I glanced at her in surprise. What the hell was this girl doing? It could be anyone hiding in those bushes.

"Luna, what are you doing?" Bakura asked, just as surprised as I was. The rustling stopped, and a then we heard someone laughing.

"Well, naïve girl," came a familiar voice. I started as I recognized it. It looked like Luna was going to start out with a loss. "I accept your challenge."

The bushes rustled again and a very familiar teen wearing a dark blue overcoat stepped out, his brown hair moving in the small breeze. The teen smiled sinisterly.

It was Seto Kaiba.

BLACK ROCK BLACK ROCK BLACK ROCK BLACK ROCK BLACK ROCK BLACK ROCK BLACK ROCK BLACK ROCK

Yep! The first duel will be between Luna and Kaiba! This ought to be fun.

Raphiel also softened up somewhat in this chapter, but only towards Bakura. (you don't have to kill me now Kerrigor)

Oh and I'd like to recognize my first reviewer! Thanks so much, Byakuran'sIdenticalTwinBro-KHR! OMg try saying THAT five times fast…

Later,

Terran34


	6. Duel with Kaiba

Welcome back, to another chapter. This time, we get to see a duel between Kaiba and Luna, although I think we all know what's going to happen…

I wanted to start off this tournament with a duel against Kaiba, just to set everything in perspective and add a little suspense to the whole thing. Oh and to clarify, Duelist Kingdom has not occurred, and Yuugi has not defeated Kaiba at all. The reason they are still enemies is because instead of kidnapping Sugoroko, Kaiba stole the Blue-Eyes and tore it up just like usual, so the duel didn't happen. However, this made Yuugi's friends hate him. Anyway, just read this pathetic disclaimer and then move on to the story.

Disclaimer: I have no intention of stealing this franchise for my own. I couldn't even if I wanted to, because these randomly colored bars somehow indicate danger!

KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA

"Luna-chan, you fool!" I thundered, causing her to look at me weirdly. "You have no idea who you are facing, do you?"

"What do you mean? I think I can get my first win off of this guy," Luna replied. After a second of silence, both Kaiba and I started to laugh in derision.

"Try to go a little easy on her, Kaiba-sama," I said jokingly to the teenage billionaire after I finished laughing. Luna looked a little hurt at this. Kaiba laughed again.

"Not a chance, Raphiel-san," he replied. "Well, Luna-chan, is it? Follow me to a duel ring."

Bakura looked at me helplessly, because we both pretty much knew Kaiba was going to wipe the floor with her.

We followed Kaiba and Luna through the forest until a large platform came into view. I had never seen anything like it, so I went up close to it to get a closer look.

Hmm, that looked like an oversized playing field on the majority of the platform. But our cards weren't that large, so what were they supposed to do?

On either side of the field were two stands where I guess the duelists were supposed to stand.

"How do these things work?" I whispered to Bakura. The blonde smiled and merely pointed.

Luna and Kaiba went to opposite sides of the field and ascended to the top of their respective stands by way of a rising platform. Suddenly, two life point meters appeared on either side, displaying a large white 2000. Since direct attacks were not allowed, 2000 was the accepted amount.

Luna and Kaiba drew five cards each from their decks and locked eyes with one another.

"Duel!" Luna shouted. Kaiba merely smirked. "I'll start!"

"You're going to regret challenging me," Kaiba sneered as Luna looked at her cards. She glared in response, and threw down a card on the flat surface in her stand.

"I'm going to summon Shining Angel in attack mode!" Luna cried. Then, to my great surprise, the playing field lit up and a giant, virtual man dressed in Roman-esque clothing with four golden wings appeared on Luna's side in a flash of light.

"Oh… my…God…" I whispered in awe. Kaiba had invented virtual technology strong enough to simulate Duel Monsters? I knew he was good, but this guy was a freaking GENIUS!

The Shining Angel flexed its muscles and shot a glare at Kaiba. Wow, they even had something of a personality? Now I wanted to duel.

Anyway, Shining Angel had 1400 attack and 800 defense points, as well as an effect. Kaiba looked at the creature, unimpressed.

"It's now my turn," Kaiba stated. "Come out, Ryu-Kishin Powered! Destroy that pathetic monster!"

Nice, Ryu-Kishin Powered was a decent monster, with 1600 attack. This was enough to take out that angel.

On Kaiba's field, a large gargoyle armored with metal plates and equipped with sharp claws and teeth. Since Kaiba had ordered it to attack, Ryu-Kishin Powered let out a screech and charged towards the Shining Angel. The angel looked at the monster and conjured a sword made of pure light. I looked on in awe as the two monsters met in the center of the field and began to fight. However, the gargoyle was stronger, so it soon swept the sword out of the way and bit down hard on Shining Angel's neck. Luna gasped as her monster exploded in a flash of light. I saw her life points fall to 1800.

"Due to Shining Angel's effect, I am allowed to summon a monster with fifteen hundred attack or less!" Luna exclaimed, although she knew it wouldn't help that much.

"It won't help you!" Kaiba said, voicing my worries.

"I summon Honest!" Luna finished, and then an impressive angel dressed in regal armor and sporting two white wings. Its clenched fists shone with the power of light. Hmm, not a bad card, with an attack of 1100 and a defense of 1900. If she put it into defense mode, then it could withstand Ryu-Kishin Powered's attacks. "It's now my turn."

"In my turn, I will put Honest into defense mode," Luna finished after she drew a card. Honest nodded at her and kneeled on the ground and shielded himself with his wings. Kaiba shook his head in exasperation.

"You need schooling, girl. It's now my turn," Kaiba said, drawing a card. When he saw it, he grinned.

"I'll now summon Battle Ox to the field in attack mode!" the teen billionaire declared, throwing down a card. I watched as an armored Minotaur equipped with a lethal looking axe appeared next to Ryu-Kishin Powered. It seems Kaiba had a lot of high powered monsters in his deck. Battle Ox had a high attack of 1700, but it was still not enough to fight Honest.

"It's my turn now!" Luna said when Kaiba did not announce an attack. She drew a card and immediately threw it down. "I will summon Nova Summoner in attack mode!"

A strange orange ring bedecked in blue ribbons appeared in the air next to Honest. It had a okay attack of 1400. I don't know why she put it in attack mode. It was like she was asking to get hurt.

When Kaiba's turn came, the teenage billionaire drew a card and began to laugh. Luna looked surprise as Kaiba laughed.

"Girl, this duel is over. Face it; you have a long way to go before you ascend out of amateur status! Come forth, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Kaiba roared, slamming his card down on the field. I gasped as I heard this. Kaiba had a Blue-Eyes? Battle Ox and Ryu-Kishin disappeared, since they were the tributes.

Luna took a step back as the giant, ivory scaled dragon possessing a whopping attack power of 3000 appeared on Kaiba's field. The Blue-Eyes let out a deafening roar and clawed the ground.

"Luna is in trouble! No one has ever beaten Kaiba before when he gets this card out!" Bakura exclaimed.

"She's lost. There's no way she can come back from this," I said simply.

"I will then place a card on the field. Now, Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Destroy Honest! BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!" Kaiba yelled, rather overdramatically. The Blue-Eyes roared again and opened its maw. A bright blue beam of light surged forth and slammed right into the kneeling angel with a loud explosion. I saw Honest fade away as the beam faded. Luna seemed to be in shock as she looked at the Blue-Eyes.

"It's your turn, girl. However, you might as well surrender. You have no chance against my Blue-Eyes," Kaiba gloated. Luna's expression changed to anger.

"No! I will NOT give up!" Luna yelled, drawing a card. "I will place a card face down on the field, and I will summon Shining Angel to the field!"

Another of the Roman angels appeared next to Nova Summoner. He saw the Blue-Eyes and his jaw dropped. The angel conjured its light sword instantly. Kaiba laughed again.

"My turn," he said, drawing a card. "Blue-Eyes, destroy Shining Angel! BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!"

"Does he really have to do that?" I said disdainfully to Bakura, who shrugged.

"I guess it adds to the mood?" he suggested. I scoffed at this. I saw the Blue-Eyes fire another beam at Shining Angel, who brought his sword up in an attempt to block.

"Trap Card activate! Mirror Force!" Luna cried triumphantly, flipping the trap card over. Kaiba recoiled in shock as a shining barrier appeared in front of Shining Angel. The teenage billionaire flipped over his set card as the burst stream rebounded and headed towards the Blue-Eyes.

"Negate attack!" Kaiba shot back, and the beam vanished into a whirling vortex. I whistled as the battle heated up. This was getting good.

"My turn again," Luna said sweetly to Kaiba, who growled. She drew a card and smiled again. "I will summon Herald of Orange Light to the field. And…Since it is a tuner, I will sacrifice all of the monsters I control to bring out the Avenging Knight Parshath!"

I looked on, impressed, as a massive cyan-skinned, winged centaur descended on Luna's side of the field. It was covered by yellow and blue plates of armor, and it wielded a large sword with two decorated metal wings for the cross tree. This was Parshath, with an attack strength of 2600. However, it was still not enough to defeat the Blue-Eyes.

"Then," Luna said, surprising us all. "I will use its effect to put your Blue-Eyes White Dragon in defense mode!"

Kaiba gasped as the mighty Blue-Eyes hunched down on the field and shielded itself with its wings. Its defense was only 2500, which meant that Parshath could best it.

"Way to go, Luna-chan! Show him who is boss!" Bakura cheered. Luna flashed him a smile. I was very impressed that Luna managed not only to last this long, but even defeat Kaiba's Blue-Eyes!

"Go, Avenging Knight Parshath! Attack the Blue-Eyes White Dragon! WINGED BLADE STRIKE!" Luna shouted. Parshath reared up, kicking his forelegs up in the air. The knight let out a roar and charged forward. The Blue-Eyes did not have a chance to defend itself before Parshath rammed his blade straight through its middle. The dragon roared in pain and disappeared. Kaiba' s life points fell to 1900 due to Parshath's other effect.

"Great, now she's doing it too," I muttered ironically, referring to her yelling "winged blade strike."

Kaiba stood on his stand in shock. It seemed impossible that a mere girl could overcome his Blue-Eyes. However, his expression soon changed to a smirk as he drew his next card.

"I'm sorry, Luna-chan, but although you have put up a good fight, it ends here," Kaiba announced, a grin appearing on his face. "You cannot hope to beat what I am now able to summon."

"Then bring it out already and stop wasting time," Luna shot back. I wondered anxiously what Kaiba had up his sleeve.

"I use Monster Reborn to return my Blue-Eyes White Dragon to the field!" Kaiba yelled. The enormous Blue-Eyes reappeared on the field, roaring in anger at its previous defeat. Parshath glared at it defiantly, twirling its sword expertly.

"Then," Kaiba continued, causing us all to jump in surprise. "Will use the magic card, Polymerization, to fuse these cards to my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

I looked in utter astonishment as he showed us two more Blue-Eyes White Dragon card's that were in his hand. My jaw dropped as I realized what he was summoning.

"Come to me, Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Kaiba screamed, almost maniacally. Wow, some people get too into this game. I watched as two more Blue-Eyes' appeared on the field and merged with the first one. In a flash of light, a colossal, three headed, ivory dragon appeared. The Blue-Eyes Ultimate gazed down upon Parshath, who did not flinch, despite the difference in attack. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon had a whopping 4500 attack and a defense of 3800, so not even Parshath's effect could help.

"Destroy the Avenging Knight Parshath! ULTIMATE BURST STREAM!" Kaiba shouted. The Blue-Eyes Ultimate opened all three of its mouths and emitted three beams of blue light. They merged into one massive, shimmering beam and zoomed towards Parshath. The centaur knight saw it coming. He let out a defiant roar and charged right towards the Blue-Eyes. Wow, if I hadn't known that he was a hologram, then I would have commended his courage.

Parshath vanished as he met the beam, and Luna cried out. Parshath must have been her favorite monster. Her life points fell all the way down to 0, since the difference in their attack had been 1900.

"You have lost. Show me your Duelist Code," Kaiba demanded as he descended from his stand. I watched in silent acceptance and Luna descended from her stand and went over to Kaiba. She showed him the slip of paper that came in her invitation. He wrote it down quickly and then dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

"Well, Raphiel-san, you should have taught your friends more sense," Kaiba advised me snootily. "See you in the finals."

Then I watched the teenage billionaire stride out of sight with mixed feelings. Now I knew what I was up against. However, I was still confident in my deck.

"Well, that was discouraging," Luna said optimistically, striding back to us. Bakura patted her on the back comfortingly.

"Not at all! You did an amazing job against Kaiba-kun," Bakura assured her. She gave him a grateful look.

"Let's keep moving," I ordered, resuming our progress down the path. I snatched a peach from a tree as I went.

"We need to find more duelists," Bakura suggested. I nodded.

Another half hour passed before we found any change of scenery. We had exited the forest and entered an empty landscape reminiscent of a grassland. There was still no one in sight, so we kept walking. There were abandoned duel rings scattered around the rolling hills, but we ignored them, heading for the clearly visible mountain.

"I want to duel next," I said to Bakura and Luna. They looked at me, waiting for me to continue. "Those duel rings were amazing, so I want to see what my monsters look like in 3-D."

"I knew you would be impressed, Raphiel-kun," Bakura exclaimed happily.

Then I ordered a break, so we dropped our luggage on the field and plopped to the ground. It was around 4:00 pm, so the sun was just past its zenith. It has pleasantly warm, which was a nice change compared to the winter temperatures in Domino City.

"I need to reinforce my deck again," Luna affirmed, pulling a large bag out of her suitcase. I looked at it once to determine that it was full of cards.

"That's a good idea. However, keep the Avenging Knight Parshath in there," I advised her. She looked at me.

"Well of course! I LOVE that card," Luna said, confirming my earlier suspicions. Bakura, who was looking through his deck as well, chose this moment to join the conversation.

"I just have to say, that was an amazing trick you pulled with Parshath," Bakura complimented her. "Not many people can even take out ONE of Kaiba's Blue-Eyes."

"That's another thing I have to ask you, Raphiel-kun," Luna said, smiling at Bakura's compliment. "Why were you so sure I was going to lose?"

"That's because Kaiba-sama has never lost. He's the head of KaibaCorp and has won many international Duel Monster tournaments," I snorted, because it was a well known fact in Japan.

"Ouch," Luna whispered, realized how reckless it was for her to just challenge such an esteemed figure so carelessly. I pulled out my bag of cards from my suitcase and looked through it, trying to find something that would help Luna. Before you ask why I was helping her, I will say that it is only because I'd rather duel her in the finals then some generic duelist.

"Here, put these in your deck," I told her, handing her three cards. I knew she didn't have them, and they were also Parshaths.

"Oh my God! THREE Airknight Parshaths?" Luna squealed happily, taking them. "You're really okay in giving me such rare cards?"

"Of course. I want to see you in the finals as much as you do," I explained truthfully.

"You are sooo nice!" Luna exclaimed, putting them in her deck. No, I'm not. I don't think I had it in me to be nice without any benefit to me. Blame my f-never mind that. It's not important.

I got three large chocolate bars out of my suitcase, and since they were not melted yet, I tossed one each to Bakura and Luna.

"Thanks! I was getting hungry," Bakura said, giving me a thankful smile. That made me feel a little better.

I laid back after I finished eating and looked at the sky. It was so peaceful, I felt myself drifting off to sleep.

"Bakura-kun, wake me after an hour," I mumbled. I heard him reply, but then I was asleep.

"Raphiel-kun, wake up!" I heard Bakura say. "There are duelists coming this way!"

I woke up instantly and shot up. I stood up instantly and looked around. I followed Bakura's finger and saw two people in the distance. One of them saw us and yelled something. Then they started running towards us.

"This duel is mine," I said to Bakura and Luna. "Bakura, you can have the next one."

"You got it. Good luck," Luna said.

"You'll destroy him, Raphiel-kun! Show him the power of your deck!" Bakura cheered. The two duelists soon came within speaking distance. The one nearest to me was a young teen, probably around 14, who was wearing a simple pair of blue jeans and a grey long-sleeved shirt. He had reddish hair and blue eyes. The other was a tall, female adult around 24 years of age, who was dressed in a short purple skirt, and a purple overcoat over a white shirt. She had blue eyes, and long blonde hair that stretched down to the middle of her back. She opened her mouth to say something, but the other beat her to it.

"You! The one in the black! I challenge you to a duel!" the teen cried. Heh, which must mean me. Good, I need a workout.

"Steven-kun! I was supposed to ask MY question first!" the woman complained. Steven looked put out, but he allowed the woman to step forward.

"Don't worry, I accept your challenge," I affirmed. Steven grinned. "Now, ask away."

"I'm looking for Seto Kaiba," the woman said. I looked at her funny.

"Are you wanting to test yourself against him as well?" I asked her. She nodded. "Well, we saw him already an hour and a half ago in the forest. He dueled against my friend Luna here and won."

"Ugh. Anyway, Now you can duel Steven-kun," the woman replied. I held up a hand first as Steven started to head for the nearest duel ring.

"I don't duel people I don't know," I said simply, hinting that I wanted their names. The woman sighed and yanked on Steven's shirt. The teen gasped and was pulled backwards. I chuckled at this.

"My name is Kujaku Mai, and this is my friend Steven-kun," the woman said. Steven waved at me awkwardly.

'Yeah, I'm Steven. Can we duel now?" Steven muttered.

"I'm Raphiel," I said. "Let's go."

With that, the five of us walked over to the nearest duel ring. I took my deck out of my pocket and grinned to myself. This was going to be fun.

"Good luck, Raphiel-kun!" Luna cried as I stepped on the platform that would take me to the top of the stand. It began to rise.

"Show this Steven kid who he's messing with!" Bakura cheered, rudely omitting Steven's honorific on purpose.

"Don't worry," I asserted. "I won't lose."

KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA KAIBA

Well, though you may be disappointed that Luna lost, she made a good fight of it. When I got Avenged Knight Parshath out, I was so happy to be able to humanize him. That is one badass card.

I'm going to try to fit two duels into the next chapter: one between Raphiel and Steven, and Mai and Bakura. Then, I'm going to implement Dark Bakura. I hope. This is going to be fun.

Later,

Terran34


	7. Dual Duel

Now, I'm going to have to fit two duels in this chapter, which is going to be interesting. The deck I picked for Steven is going to be REALLY annoying to fight. Darn those warriors and their immense card descriptions!

Oh, and my other favorite character, Mai, has finally made her appearance! As you have probably realized, this story is completely AU, because Duelist Kingdom is not even going to occur. Pegasus will show up later. Him and his stupid eye. I'm not even sure Raphiel can beat that stupid Toon deck.

Disclaimer: I have no intention of stealing this franchise for my own. I couldn't even if I wanted to, because then Florence would hit me with an Egyptian Lazor Beam!

DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL

"Your Duelist Code is as good as mine, Raphiel-kun!" Steven declared recklessly. I snorted in derision. If this guy's deck was as bad as his attitude, then this duel would only take three seconds.

"I suggest you keep silent and focus on the duel," I advised coldly. Steven looked surprised, as if he didn't expect me to tell him to shut up. Well, when someone goes, "Mwahahahahahahahaha I'm going to win," what did you expect?

I looked at the apparatus that was in the stand with me. It looked like a playing field, only it seemed to be made of fiber optic cables. I guess that would allow it to read what was on the card and replicate it. There was also a screen showing my opponent's playing field.

Then, we drew our five cards. I took the first card and grinned. I had a better hand this time. It was Nuvia the Wicked, a strong level 4 monster with 2000 attack.

My next card was the Black Magician, a particularly badass level 7 card with an attack of 2500. However, it required two tributes. No good right now.

I drew another card to reveal another Nuvia the Wicked. This was really good! I had TWO good monsters this time; Well, compared to the last two times I dueled.

The next one was the Summoned Skull, a monster just as strong as the Black Magician, only requiring one less tribute. It seems I was pretty set for monsters.

My last card was a very useful magic card, Beckon to Darkness, which could instantly destroy any monster on the enemy field.

I looked up to see Steven finish drawing his cards. He smirked as he beheld them and then looked at me confidently.

"You start," I told him, because as I said before, I liked going second.

"Very well! I will place a card down on the field," Steven began, doing so. A face down card appeared on the screen in my stand, and one of the magic card slots on the huge playing field began to glow yellow. "And then I will summon the Celtic Guardian in attack mode!"

I sighed as an elvish warrior clad in green and silver armor appeared on Steven's field. It glared at me defiantly and raised its longsword. I glared back, although I knew it was just a hologram. The Celtic Guardian only had 1400 attack, but I couldn't kill it with anything that had an attack of 1900 or above. That meant I had to waste a valuable magic card on it.

"My turn," I announced. "I will place a card on the field."

Now, how do you do this? I took Beckon to Darkness from my hand and set it on the apparatus. A rainbow light emanated from under the card for a split second. Then I looked up to see a magic card slot begin to glow yellow.

"Then I will summon Nuvia the Wicked in attack mode!" I said, placing the card down face up. In a flash of light, a banded blue worm with a demonic face that was bedecked in jewels and pink tentacles appeared, floating slightly above the field. I looked upon my monster in admiration. This was one of the proudest moments in my life. Yeah, that sounds cheesy, but for Nuvia had always served me well, and to see it now in 3-D was truly awe inspiring.

Nuvia turned to me and gave me a smile, which I returned. Steven was grinning, because he knew I couldn't kill his Celtic Guardian. Speaking of which, the warrior had spotted Nuvia and his expression turned to one of determination.

"Hmph, you should have picked a weaker monster," Steven gloated as he drew a card. "Now I will use my set card. LIGHTNING VORTEX!"

I knew the card, and I was angered as three massive bolts of lightning slammed into Nuvia, destroying her instantly.

"N…nuvia! Steven-kun, you bastard!" I shouted. Steven grinned, throwing another card on the field.

"I summon another Celtic Guardian to the field!" Steven declared, and a knight identical to the other appeared. Only to my surprise, his armor was blue and silver instead. The two Celtic Guardians glanced at one another and nodded.

"He's toying with you, Raphiel-kun! You can easily destroy him!" Bakura encouraged me, and I shot him a smile. I drew another card to reveal a Dark Elf, a powerful female warrior with 2000 attack.

"I will summon Dark Elf to the field in attack mode!" I announced. A tall, dark haired woman dressed in blue robes and golden armor appeared. She held out one of her hands and a ball of dark flames appeared. "Then I will activate my set magic card, Beckon to Darkness!"

Steven gasped as he heard my card. The green Celtic Guardian looked around in confusion, and then a giant, demonic hand erupted out of the ground, carrying him up with it. At the apex of its climb, it closed its fist around the warrior and then dragged it under ground, killing it.

"You…that was one of my favorite cards!" Steven cursed.

"Tough," I countered. "That's what you get for killing my Nuvia."

Steven cursed again and began his turn. He saw his next card and sighed. Obviously it wasn't that good.

"My turn is over," he said. I grinned as he passed his turn. I drew another card. When I saw it, I smiled widely.

"Do you have a good card, Raphiel-kun?" Bakura cried to me. I showed him the card secretly. Bakura saw it and cheered. For I had my trump card, Thousand Eyes Restrict, in my hand. Now I could dispose of that pathetic Celtic Guardian.

"Thousand Eyes Restrict! Attack mode!" I yelled, slamming the card down. Steven's and Mai's eyes widened as a bizarre, legless monster with two huge arms, a gaping orifice in the middle of its body, and an evil eye for a head. Dotting its body were thousands of eyes.

"How do you have such strong monsters?" Mai demanded as she looked at my side of the field. Dark Elf grinned evilly as the lone Celtic Guardian shook in terror.

"Absorb the Celtic Guardian!" I ordered. The orifice on Thousand Eyes Restrict opened wide and air began to zoom into it. The Celtic Guardian was swept of his feet. Dropping his sword, the warrior flew towards the orifice. He tried to hang on to the floor of the playing field, but he soon fell into the orifice.

After a second, the Thousand Eyes Restrict shimmered and disappeared, to be replaced by a corrupt version of the Celtic Guardian. Instead of blue and silver, the warrior was now black and red, and its skin was gray. It glared at Steven malevolently.

"What have you done to my monster?" Steven demanded. I merely smirked. I had this duel under control the whole time.

Thanks to Thousand Eyes Restrict's effect, the ghostly Celtic Guardian's attack rose to 2000.

"Your turn, Steven-kun," I sneered. I knew that this amateur had no chance. Steven grunted and drew a card. He grinned, which can't have been good.

"I summon, Marauding Captain to the field in attack mode!" he cried. A heavily armored warrior with a red cape and two swords stepped out of nowhere, facing my two monsters. "And due to his effect, I special summon Goblin Attack Force to the field!"

I sighed as the captain turned around and whistled. Three armed goblins appeared next to the captain and screeched. Marauding Captain had an attack of only 1200, but the goblins' was 2300. Now he could kill one of my monsters.

"Goblin Attack Force! Destroy the Thousand Eyes Restrict! TRIANGLE STRIKE!" Steven shouted triumphantly. I growled as the three goblins all attacked the ghostly Celtic Guardian. My warrior grunted and rushed to meet them. He blocked a strike from one of the goblins, and then whirled around and stuck down another that was trying to sneak up on him. Then my warrior kicked the third goblin in the gut and then impaled it. As he was extricating his sword, the last goblin struck him over the head, killing him. My life points fell to 1800.

Although I was pissed that my Thousand Eyes was dead, I thought that it was awesome that our monsters fought like that. I watched as the remaining goblin went back to its space and went into defense mode. That was its effect. Too bad it only had a defense of 0. I could kill it next turn.

However, I still had to deal with that Marauding Captain. Due to its effect, I couldn't attack any other monsters but him until he was destroyed. A mere nuisance really.

"It's my turn," I said. I drew a card and looked at it. It was my trusty Torrential Tribute. Then I took out Summoned Skull. Dark Elf looked at me. I locked eyes with it, and we both nodded.

"I will place a card on the field, and then I will tribute Dark Elf to bring out the Summoned Skull!" I announced. Dark Elf smiled as she disappeared. Replacing it was a giant, demonic skeleton, with two skeletal wings. Lightning crackled around its body, and it let out a roar. "Destroy that Marauding Captain!"

The Marauding Captain hefted his swords and let out a battle cry. However, before it got halfway across the field, it was struck with a bolt of lightning unleashed from Summoned Skull. Steven gulped as his life points fell to 700. Steven drew a card, since it was his turn now.

"I will now activate the Warrior Returning Alive to resurrect the Marauding Captain!" Steven declared. The captain appeared again, and then he pointed his swords at me in anger. "Then I will sacrifice them both to bring out Gilford the Legend!"

I gasped as the goblins as well as the captain disappeared only to be replaced by a massive, well built warrior wielding a giant sword. It was heavily armored, and its long blonde hair swept in a nonexistent wind. It had an attack of 2600, which was higher than my Skull.

"Kill his Summoned Skull!" Steven ordered. Gilford nodded and hefted his blade. Then, with a roar, the knight charged straight for the Summoned Skull.

"Gotcha!" I interrupted, holding up my trap card. "Torrential Tribute!"

"Not so fast!" Steven said as a giant waterfall began to fall upon Gilford as he ran. "I will use Dark Bribe!"

I sighed as the waterfall was stopped by an invisible barrier. As part of the card's effect, I drew a card, which was Yami.

Gilford reached Summoned Skull, ducked under a blow from the demon's claw, and cleaved straight through my monster, destroying it. My life points fell to 1700. Mai, Bakura, and Luna all watched in complete silence as the epic duel unfolded.

Now that it was my turn, I drew another card, which turned out to be an Acid Trap Hole. Good.

"I will place a card on the field, and then summon Nuvia the Wicked to the field in attack mode!" I announced. Nuvia reappeared on the field, hissing at Gilford, who shook his fist at her. "Then I will activate Yami, which turns the field to darkness!"

A dark shroud of mist descended on the field. Nuvia hissed in pleasure as her attack rose to 2300.

"Your set card is a trap card, most likely!" Steven conjectured, pointing at me. I did not grace him with an answer. "Well, I won't fall for it! I'll pass this turn."

Good. His "intelligence" gave me just what I needed. I drew my next card to reveal Monster Reborn. Good. Now this duel was back in my hands.

"I will use Monster Reborn to resurrect my other Nuvia the Wicked!" I shouted. Another Nuvia descended and entwined itself with the other. "Then I will tribute them both to bring out the Black Magician!"

Steven took a step back as the purple armored magician stepped out of a swirling black vortex, its staff held high. Its attack, thanks to the darkness, rose from 2500 to 2800.

"Destroy Gilford the Legend! BLACK MAGIC!" I shouted, and then I realized what I had done. Damn you Luna and Kaiba! Now you have ME doing it!

The Black Magician let out a grunt and pointed its staff at Gilford, who covered his head with his hands. A bolt of pure darkness poured from his staff and flew straight at Gilford, enveloping the warrior.

When the darkness dissipated, Gilford was gone and Steven's life points had fallen to 500. Steven cursed as his turn began. He drew his next card and laughed.

"I summon Exiled Force to the field in attack mode!" Steven declared. Three tanned warriors wielding spears appeared. They had an attack of 1000. I cursed, because I knew what that monster's effect was.

"You have GOT to be kidding me," I whispered.

"Then I will tribute it in order to destroy your Black Magician!" Steven yelled. The three warriors grinned and then threw all of their spears at my magician.

Right before the spears hit, the Black Magician raised his staff and annihilated the Exiled Force. Then it was pierced and perished.

Now this was just plain annoying. My monsters were amazingly strong, but Steven kept destroying them. The difference in our life points was huge, but Steven just didn't want to give up.

I drew my next card, which happened to be a Flash Assailant. It had an attack of 2000, and was good enough to go on the field.

"I summon Flash Assailant in attack mode!" I declared, placing the card on the fiber optics. An Arabian man dressed in assassin clothing appeared, wielding a large machete. Its attack power then rose to 2300. Steven ignored it and started his turn by drawing a card. He immediately placed it on the field.

"I will now bring out Goblin Attack Force in attack mode!" Steven said. I cursed as I saw the three annoying goblins. However, our attack was the same, so I wasn't worried as the teen ended his turn.

I drew my next card and sighed in relief. Now I could end this damn duel so I could watch Bakura and Mai fight. I had the King of Yamimakai in my hand.

"I will now tribute Flash Assailant in order to bring out the King of Yamimakai!" I shouted excitedly. I laughed in delight as I saw Steven's face go pale.

The Arabian assassin sunk into the ground, and one of my favorite monsters appeared. It stood way taller than any of the others. Its skin was brownish and all covered in sinewy muscles. It was protected at the vital points such as the head and joints by thick, dark green armor. It opened its mouth and roared, revealing its sharp fangs. Its attack power rose from 2600 to 2900.

"King of Yamimakai, finish this duel!" I commanded. The King nodded to me and charged. The three goblins could only stare in terror for one second before the King was among them. With a few strong punches, the goblins were history.

Steven slammed his fist onto his playing field is anger, sending his cards flying. I watched in satisfaction as his life points fell to 0.

"Woohoo Raphiel-kun!" Bakura cheered, waving happily at me. I was grinning triumphantly. I stepped back on the platform and let it take me to the ground. Steven did the same, avoiding Mai's gaze. Speaking of Mai, she was shaking her head in exasperation.

"You can't even win when I fixed your deck for you? You are pathetic," she scolded him. I ignored her and walked over to Steven.

"Your Duelist Code, please," I demanded. Steven cursed and showed me his slip of paper. I gazed at it intently. Then I took out my cell phone and saved the code under notes.

"Good job, Raphiel. You've won your first duel!" Luna complimented me. I acknowledged her with a quick nod. Bakura came over to me, grinning happily at my victory. He spotted my cell phone.

"Hey, Raphiel-kun, do you want to trade cell numbers? You know, just in case we get separated?" Bakura asked suddenly. I glanced at him, debating with myself on whether to give it to him. I had no numbers on my cell phone other than my father's, since I deleted all of the ones I used to have. I never called my father since we didn't speak much, so the only reason I had a phone was for calendar events and notes.

"I understand if you don't want to," Bakura mumbled after I was silent. The disappointed look on his face was too much to bear, even for someone as cold as me.

"No, I'll do it," I told him hastily. His expression grew happy again, and he pulled out his silver cell phone. I showed him my black phone, which had my number displayed on the screen.

"Thank you so much, Raphiel-kun!" Bakura cried, his eyes glistening. I looked away, embarrassed. Just what what is with this guy? Getting so emotional over a phone number…what next?

"Hey! Bakura-kun!" Mai called impatiently. "Are we going to duel or not?"

Bakura stood silent, his eyes facing the ground. His hand moved to place his cell phone back in his pocket. Then I saw a sinister grin stretch its way across Bakura's face. Suddenly I remembered the same grin appearing back at the airport.

The blonde seemed to grow taller right before me, and then he shook his hair back. His white hair seemed to grow spikier. Then to my great surprise, Bakura's pendant that I saw back in my dorm phased straight through his shirt and laid to rest on his chest!

I rubbed my eyes in surprise, only to see the pendant still there. I dismissed it as a trick of the light though, since the setting sun was glaring in my eyes. Bakura must have pulled it out of his shirt.

"Hey, Bakura-kun! Are you listening to me?" Mai demanded, taking a step forward. Bakura raised his head. His expression was no longer shy, instead replaced by one of calm, almost evil confidence. This change in Bakura's demeanor was kinda freaking me out now.

"Of course we will," Bakura hissed, which was not like him at all. "But you must be willing to accept the…_consequences_…if you lose."

I shuddered as Bakura said "consequences." He was acting like this was a duel to the death! I looked over at Luna, and she seemed just as confused as I am.

"Yes, I know I have to give you my Duelist Code if I lose. But I won't!" Mai replied. Bakura shook his head and snickered evilly.

"What the hell is up with him?" I whispered to Luna. "He is starting to really freak me out!"

"I know, it's scaring me too," the blonde replied.

Bakura and Mai stepped on their respective platforms, which then raised them to their stands. Bakura took his deck out of his pocket and placed it on his playing field, and Mai did the same.

"What is that necklace?" Mai asked curiously, staring at Bakura's chest. Bakura looked up at her, that same evil look on his face.

"This?" the blonde asked, lifting his pendant. "This is my Millennium Ring. It is…a good luck charm, if you will. It will bring me victory!"

"That's absurd! No trinket can help you against me!" Mai snapped. Bakura laughed aloud at her reply, flustering her.

"Are you laughing at me?" Mai demanded, looking angry.

"Let's begin this duel," Bakura declared, ignoring her indignant outburst. Mai growled and drew her five cards. I watched the life point meters scroll up to 2000.

Bakura, that creepy grin still on his face, drew his five cards and glanced down on them. He let out a low, evil laugh as he saw them.

"What is wrong with you, Bakura-kun!" I shouted up at him. Bakura glanced askance at me, as if I was a bug that had appeared in his sights.

"Do not interrupt my duel," Bakura commanded, before turning back to his cards. My mouth dropped open for a second, and then it closed in pure rage. Nobody spoke to me like that. NOBODY!

I began to stomp forward, heading straight for the duel ring. My fists clenched and my eyes were focused on Bakura.

"Raphiel-kun, stop!" Luna pleaded, stepping in front of me. I swept my hand forward, attempting to push her out of my way. Luna grunted and then blocked my hand with hers. My eyes widened as I felt the strength within her lean arms. Girls can't be strong, it's…not possible!

I pushed against her with all of my might, but she wouldn't budge. I grunted and took a step back. I was still fuming at Bakura and Luna for stopping me, but right now the sensible option would be to step out of the picture to see what occurred.

"I'll start!" Mai declared. She chose a card out of her hand and delicately placed it down on her field. "I summon Beautiful Headhuntress on the field in attack mode!"

A very…sexy I might say…woman dressed in a blue kimono appeared on Mai's side of the field. She wielded a large, one sided blade that was made for forceful slashes, rather than blocking. Her attack power was an average 1600. Bakura glanced at it and snickered again.

I was really getting freaking out with Bakura. How the hell did he turn from a shy, dependent person to this confident, almost evil one?

"Is that it?" Bakura asked. Mai glared at him. "I guess it is. My turn. I will summon Gyroid in attack mode."

A strange, almost cartoony helicopter appeared on Bakura's side of the field. It took off and hovered slightly above the field. I glanced at it curiously, since I had never seen the card before. I thought Bakura had lots of undead in his deck. Did Bakura switch decks when I wasn't looking?

Its attack power was a pathetic 1000, so what was Bakura attempting to gain?

Mai laughed aloud as she scanned the strange monster.

"You think you can beat my Headhuntress with that pathetic monster?" she demanded. Bakura said nothing, merely grinning in that strange way. Mai snorted at his silence and drew a card.

"I will set a card face down on the field," Mai stated, doing so. A Magic Card slot began to flash yellow. "Then I will summon Sonic Maid to the field in attack mode!"

Another beautiful girl appeared next to the Headhuntress, only this one was dressed in red and wielded a scythe in the shape of a musical note. Her attack power was 1200.

"Headhuntress! Strike down Gyroid!" Mai commanded. The female samurai nodded and let out a cry. The Headhuntress charged forward and slashed down on Gyroid. Bakura laughed again, and suddenly the weird helicopter monster swooped out of range. Headhuntress grunted in frustration.

"What?" Mai exclaimed as her attack failed.

"You fool. Gyroid can avoid an attack once a turn," Bakura explained. Although helpful, Mai could now destroy it with her other monster.

"Fool, am I? Sonic Maid, destroy Gyroid!" Mai ordered. The red cloaked woman hefted her scythe and charged. This time, Gyroid could not avoid the attack, and Sonic Maid was able to cut right through it. Bakura expression remained confident even as his life points fell to 1800.

"It is now my turn," Bakura announced, drawing a card. "I will summon Dark Resonator on the field in attack mode!"

A really freaky looking creature that looked like a fat hooded man appeared, wielding a tuning fork. It had a weak attack power of 1300. Where the hell did Bakura get these cards?

"Now, destroy Sonic Maid!" Bakura commanded, pointing at his target. The Dark Resonator emitted a high pitched laugh and then struck its tuning fork. A powerful sonic wave traveled across the field, hitting the Sonic Maid squarely in the face. The poor creature could not withstand the wave and disappeared, dropping Mai's life points to 1900.

"That was one of my favorite monsters," Mai growled. She drew her next card, and her expression lightened up considerably. "Yes! It's your time to shine, Harpie Lady! Attack mode!"

Now this card I knew. A beautiful, blue skinned woman with long red hair and two blue wings appeared. Her weapons were her sharp claws, which had an attack power of 1300.

"Destroy the Dark Resonator, Beautiful Headhuntress!" Mai ordered. The female samurai acknowledged her order with a nod. Then the Headhuntress charged forward and brought her blade down on the Dark Resonator. However, Bakura's monster blocked the strike with its tuning fork.

"Again?" Mai cried, her face livid. Bakura laughed.

"My monster has the same effect as Gyroid," the blonde informed her. Mai slammed her fist down on the side of her platform in frustration.

Normally, I would be cheering for Bakura, but at this time, I didn't feel like cheering. I knew that whoever…or whatever…was standing up there on that stand, it wasn't Bakura. It was not the kind, gentle Bakura that was my friend.

"Now it is my turn again," Bakura stated, drawing another card. He snickered as he saw it.

"I will now use Enemy Controller!" the blonde declared, holding up the magic card. I remembered this card. It had two effects, but I didn't know which one Bakura was going to use. "I will now put your Beautiful Headhuntress in defense mode!"

"You…why don't you stop using cheap cards and fight me fairly!" Mai demanded as the Headhuntress knelt down and held her blade in front of her. Her defense was only 800.

"Dark Resonator! Destroy the Headhuntress!" Bakura ordered. The creature again struck its tuning fork, and a wave of sonic energy annihilated the female samurai. Mai cursed as it disappeared from her field. Since it was now her turn, she drew her next card. She smiled as she saw it.

"I will now equip Harpie Lady with the Rose Whip!" Mai declared, placing the magic card on the field behind the monster. "Her attack and defense points all rise by three hundred."

I nodded appreciatively at the combo as a thorny whip appeared in Harpie Lady's hand and her attack shot up to 1600. Now she could kill the Dark Resonator.

"Have you forgotten?" Bakura demanded. "You cannot hurt my Dark Resonator! Not when Harpie Lady is your only monster!"

"Who said it was my only monster?" Mai shot back. Bakura grunted in surprise as Mai threw down another card. "I summon Blue Winged Crown in attack mode!"

A large blue bird with a red crown-like crest on its head appeared next to Harpie Lady, who petted it fondly. It had an attack of 1600.

"My wind monsters! Attack together!" Mai cried, waving her arms dramatically. Harpie Lady nodded at the blue bird, and with a screech, they flew straight towards the Dark Resonator.

Bakura's monster managed to fend off the Blue Winged Crown, but it could not defend itself in time before Harpie Lady's whip scored a hit, destroying it. Bakura's life points fell to 1500.

I crossed my arms as Bakura continued to do badly. I knew what Bakura was trying to do, if he still was using his Destiny Board deck. He was just waiting to draw the Destiny Board card, and then the duel would end in a victory for him in 4 turns afterwards.

"You should just give up, Bakura-kun! You can't win against my Harpy deck!" Mai cried triumphantly.

"You are right," Bakura said. Mai's eyes widened. I was too confused at his statement. Was Bakura going to give up? "I've underestimated you, Mai-san. It's time I corrected this mistake!"

Bakura drew his next card, looked at it, and then put it in his hand.

"I will then summon Earl of Demise to the field in attack mode!" Bakura declared. I acknowledged the power of this card with a nod. A fearsome zombie dressed in rotting aristocratic clothing appeared where the Dark Resonator once stood. It wielded a thin saber for its weapon. It had no effect, but its attack was 2000, which was considerable.

What comforted me was that it was an undead fiend, unlike the other two monsters Bakura played. I guess he just hadn't drawn his undead cards.

"Then I will strengthen it with Megamorph!" Bakura continued, placing another card down. Mai took a step back as the Earl grew stronger, its strength rising to 2300. "Now, my powerful Earl, destroy the Blue Winged Crown!"

The undead Earl shambled over to Mai's monster, which tried to fly out of ranged. However, the zombie could draw upon powers unattainable by living creatures, so it leaped up high and impaled the bird on its saber, destroying it. Mai's life points plummeted to 1200.

I smiled grimly as Bakura took the lead with his powerful fiend. At this rate, he may not even need to use Destiny Board to win!

"Come on, Mai-san! You can win this still!" Steven cheered for his friend/idol/crush/I don't care what their relationship is. Mai said nothing, staring at the Earl of Demise with hatred. She drew her next card, since Bakura couldn't do anything else in his turn.

"I will attack Cyber Shield to my Harpie Lady!" Mai announced. The Harpie Lady grinned as golden, spiked armor appeared on her body, increasing her attack power to 2100. However, it was still not enough to defeat the Earl of Demise. "Then I will use De-Spell on your Earl of Demise to remove its Megamorph!"

Bakura sighed as the attack power of his Earl of Demise fell back to 2000. In fact, he didn't seem to care.

"Harpie Lady! Attack the Earl of Demise!" Mai ordered. The Harpie Lady cracked her whip and flew towards Bakura. The Earl snarled in defiance before Mai's monster annihilated it with her thorny whip. Bakura's life points fell to 1400.

"Tsk Tsk," Bakura chided her. "If you think you can beat me by brute force, you are wrong."

"Do not lecture me, kid!" Mai shot back. Bakura laughed at her outburst, and then he drew his next card.

"Let me start off my turn by using the Pot of Greed, so that I may draw two extra cards," Bakura began. A large, ugly green pot appeared on the field for a second. A light shone out from the opening, and then it vanished. Bakura then drew his two cards.

"Now, I will summon Archfiend Soldier to the field in defense mode," Bakura continued. A large, armored demon wearing a green cloak appeared. Then it kneeled down and covered itself with its cloak.

It seemed Bakura was playing defensive again, since Mai's Harpie Lady was growing in strength steadily. Archfiend Soldier was a decent card, with a defense of 1500.

"Hiding from me, are we?" Mai teased as her turn began. "That will never get you anywhere."

Bakura only snickered as Mai drew her next card. She immediately placed it on the field.

"I will now use Elegant Egotist on my Harpie Lady, tripling it!" Mai declared. The Harpie Lady split into three, slightly different Harpies, also known as the Harpie Lady Sisters. It had an attack power of 1950, but with the addition of the Rose Whip and Cyber Shield, it rose even higher to 2750. If Bakura didn't deal with this card soon, he was in trouble.

"Harpie Lady Sisters, attack the Archfiend Soldier!" Mai ordered. The three sisters screeched and flew forward. The Archfiend Soldier attempted to block them, but as he was contending with one of the Harpies, the other two flew behind it and sliced the demon to pieces. "Give it up, Bakura-kun. None of your monsters can even come CLOSE to the power of my Harpie Lady Sisters!"

Bakura ignored her taunt and drew his next card. The blonde froze as he saw his next card, and then an evil grin slowly spread across his face.

"I'm sorry, Mai-san. Despite your powerful cards, your fight is over. As of now, you have four turns left before your defeat!" Bakura announced, and then he laughed maniacally. Mai recoiled in surprise and disbelief as she heard his prediction. 

"Impossible! Nothing can defeat my Harpie Lady Sisters!" she cried skeptically. Bakura wagged a finger at her.

"Really? I will now activate Destiny Board!" Bakura shouted, slamming the card down. I smiled, because this duel was practically over if Mai didn't defeat him.

A giant black "F" appeared in the air in one of Bakura's Magic slots in a flash of light. A white aura emanated from the giant letter.

"D-destiny Board?" Mai stammered. "What is that?"

"You don't know what Destiny Board does?" Bakura asked condescendingly. "Then allow me to fill you in. Destiny Board is a trap card that allows me to draw one Spirit Letter card from my hand or my deck each turn and place it on the field. Once the ultimate word has been spelled out, I win."

"You WHAT?" Mai cried, not believing what she just heard. "An instant win?"

"Yes, that is an accurate description," Bakura said. "In four turns, your soul will belong to me!"

I stopped thinking as soon as he said that. Did…did he just say he was going to take her soul once he won? How is that even possible? Maybe he was just bluffing, because no human has the power to steal souls.

"Did you just hear that?" I said to Steven and Luna.

"Nobody can take souls, it's not possible!" Steven replied, although he was looking worried.

"I don't understand what Bakura is trying to prove by saying that," Luna answered. We all looked at Mai, who was looking pale.

"Now I will summon Dark Hunter to the field in defense mode!" Bakura finished. A cloaked, bird-like demon appeared on the field. It then kneeled and hid itself with its cloak. It was an okay monster with a formidable effect, but it was useless in defense mode, since it only had 400 defense. Her hands trembling, Mai drew her next card.

"I will summon Harpie's Brother to the field in attack mode," Mai said, placing the card down. A particularly badass-looking man appeared next to the Harpie Lady Sisters. He was dressed in a biker outfit, and he had two reddish black wings. He was equipped with a sword and a gun. Its attack power was a reasonable 1800.

"Harpie Lady Sisters, destroy the Dark Hunter!" Mai cried. The three flying woman again flew towards Bakura and sliced his monster apart.

"My turn," Bakura said confidently. "Due to the effect of Destiny Board, Spirit Letter 'I' appears on the field. You have three turns left to live."

Mai blinked as a giant black "I" appeared next to the "F." Now, the word "FI" was floating in midair. Then Bakura drew his next card.

"I will summon another Dark Hunter to the field in attack mode," Bakura continued. Another bird-like demon appeared, wielding two sharp knives. "Since there are more than 2 dark monsters in my graveyard, its effect allows its attack to rise to two thousand."

"To finish off my combo, I will use Megamorph on the Dark Hunter!" Bakura finished, and the demon's attack rose to 2300. "Now, Dark Hunter! Destroy Harpie's Brother!"

The demon roared and charged forward. The Harpie saw it coming and took out his gun. It fired several times, but the Dark Hunter nimbly dodged them. When they were close enough, Harpie's Brother unsheathed his sword and engaged in battle against the Dark Hunter.

However, the demon was too quick for the Harpie, so it soon tore it to pieces with its knives. Mai's life points fell to 700. Mai cursed.

"Take her down, Bakura-kun!" I cheered, my friendship with Bakura finally overcoming my anger at his new demeanor. Bakura looked over at me, and a look of confusion passed over his stern face. It was as if he hadn't expected me to root for him. Idiot, you may be acting like a total ass right now, but I'm still your friend!

Bakura's expression then turned to one of pain, and the blonde forced himself to look at the duel. It now seemed to me that something seemed to be forcing the blonde to duel.

Mai drew her next card, sweat beginning to appear on her forehead.

"Destroy the Dark Hunter, Harpie Lady Sisters!" she shouted. The demon could not move faster than the three women, so it soon followed its predecessors to the graveyard. Bakura's life points fell to 950.

"Since it is now my turn, Spirit Letter 'N' appears!" Bakura declared, his voice wavering slightly. Another enormous letter appeared next to the other two, so that the word now read "FIN."

"Now, I will place a card on the field, and then summon Headless Knight to the field in defense mode!" Bakura added. A knight dressed in holy silver armor, but missing a head, appeared on the field. It knelt down and held its sword out protectively. Behind it, next to the forming word, a Magic slot began to glow yellow.

"My turn," Mai said, drawing her next card. When she saw it, she began to laugh hysterically. "Bakura-kun, your Destiny Board strategy is finished!"

"Really?" Bakura asked skeptically. It seemed that Bakura had anticipated a counterattack, so he was calm.

"I will activate Harpie's Feather Duster! Now it will destroy all of your Magic and Trap Cards, including your Destiny Board!" Mai shouted, grinning like a madwoman. One of the Harpie Lady Sisters flew towards the glowing word, her wings stretched out wide.

"Not so fast," Bakura interrupted, suddenly discarding a card in his hand. "I will now discard a card in order to activate Magic Jammer!"

Mai recoiled in fear as a large pentagram appeared under the incoming Harpie and stopped it in place. It was forced to go back and join the other Harpie Lady Sisters.

"Did you really think I'd let you destroy my winning strategy so easily?" Bakura demanded, grinning. Mai just gasped as she began to come to terms with her inevitable defeat.

"H...Harpie… Harpie Lady Sisters…destroy the Headless Knight!" Mai mumbled. The kneeling knight then was sliced to pieces by Mai's powerful Harpies.

"And now Spirit Letter 'A' appears!" Bakura cried triumphantly. Now the word spelled "FINA." "Mai, you have one turn left to live! I will end my turn without summoning monsters!"

Mai drew her next card, and then she fell to her knees on the stand, the cards in her deck flying everywhere.

"No…how could my Harpies lose…" she mumbled. Bakura glanced at her in disdain.

"Since you aren't making any actions, you pass your turn," Bakura said. He drew his next card. "Now, your soul is…ah!"

Bakura stopped his sentence when he saw his next card. I looked at him, confused, wondering what could have possibly stopped him from finishing the duel.

"Y…Yami…" Bakura muttered, his speech jerking as if he was in great pain. I saw him collapse, holding his hands to his head. "N…no…you…will…not…ahagh!"

"Bakura-kun, are you all right?" Luna cried out worriedly. I too was worried about Bakura, since he seemed to be having some kind of seizure.

"I…urgh…RAPHIEL-KUN!" Bakura screamed loudly. I started as I heard my name fly out of his mouth.

"Bakura-kun! I'm coming!" I shouted, running towards the stand. Bakura continued to cry out as I approached. Ignoring the platform, I climbed up the stand until I reached Bakura. I knelt down beside him and held him tightly as he yelled. Something was wrong with him, so I was determined to give him the mental support of my presence. "I'm here, Bakura-kun!"

I ignored the cheesiness of my words. The only thought in my mind was Bakura's safety. After all of the friends I've lost over the years, I was NOT going to let the world take another from me!

"Raphiel-kun…I…AH!" Bakura yelled, and then I felt a blast of air emit from his body. It tried to push me back, but I planted my feet firmly on the ground. Bakura went limp in my arms.

"Bakura-kun!" I cried desperately. The blonde made no noise for a few seconds, and then he opened his eyes and looked up at me.

"Raphiel-kun!" Bakura cried, and then he embraced me suddenly. I recoiled for a second. Normally, if a guy friend of mine just walked up to me and hugged me, I'd think he was gay. But Bakura had just gone through some sort of mental battle that I know nothing about, so I guessed he wanted the presence of somebody friendly. Not that I qualify for friendly.

After he let go of me, I helped him stand and face the playing field once again.

"Finish the duel, Bakura-kun," I whispered. The blonde nodded weakly and began to search his deck for the last Spirit Letter.

"Thank you for dueling with me, Mai-san," Bakura said to the equally traumatized Mai as he placed Spirit Letter "L" on the field.

Now that the word "FINAL" was on the field, there was a huge flash of light. A black hole leading to somewhere deep in the depths of Hell appeared where the word used to be. It sucked the Harpie Lady Sisters right inside, destroying them and dealing 8000 points of direct damage to Mai's life points. Needless to say, the duel was over.

I helped Bakura to the platform, which then lowered us to the ground. Luna ran over to us, and Steven ran to Mai.

"Is he okay?" Luna asked, a scared look on her face.

"Yeah, I think I can walk now," Bakura said. I let go of him and let the blonde stand up. The three of us then walked over to Mai, who was standing up straight as well.

"It seems I have far to go before I can even think about facing Kaiba," Mai told us, handing her Duelist Code to Bakura. "Because if I can't beat you, then I stand no chance against him."

"It was fun, Mai-san! Thank you for the challenge," Bakura replied graciously, recording the code in his phone.

"Well then, Bakura-kun, Luna-chan, Raphiel-kun, I guess we'll say farewell here," Mai said, facing us all. "Steven and I still have several Duelist Codes left to collect."

"I guess so. Goodbye, Mai-san," I replied. Mai shook hands with each of us, and then her and Steven began to walk away. The duel had taken longer than I thought, so it was now dark.

"Why can't you pick duelists that are WEAK?" Mai demanded of Steven when they were farther away.

"I don't have ESP you know!" Steven retorted indignantly. "What do want me to do, walk up and ask if they're weak duelists?"

"No, but I'M picking the next targets!" Mai shot back. The three of us laughed to ourselves as the quarrelling duo disappeared from sight.

DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL

Since it was dark, we began to settle down for the night. Luna had wisely brought a tent in her suitcase, so we worked to set it up together.

Once it was finished, we all spread out inside of it and lay in silence for a couple minutes.

"Okay, Bakura-kun? I need an explanation, now." I said, breaking the silence. "What the hell happened back there?

"It…It's hard to explain," Bakura mumbled shyly.

"Well, you need to try. I can't go walking around the isle not knowing when you will turn scary on me again," I shot back.

"It's just that…I think that there is someone else inside of me, that surfaces when I duel," Bakura attempted to explain.

"You mean some spirit inside of you possesses you when you duel?" I rephrased skeptically, not believing it. I mean, it explained a lot about what happened back there, but come on, spirits?

"I'm not really sure. It's just that I have memory lapses every now and then, and people always get hurt afterwards. It's why I keep transferring schools," Bakura continued.

"Then why didn't it hurt Mai-san?" I demanded.

"Because the other me's hold was weakened somehow, and I became somewhat conscious. Then you must have helped me break free," Bakura answered. I thought about this. This other Bakura seemed very unbelievable, but it did explain why he began having a seizure or something when he saw the card I gave him. I don't know why my Yami card would weaken the other Bakura's hold. Maybe, if I dipped into cliché, the Yami card reminded him of me, and our friendship weakened the evil Bakura. OF course, that seemed incredibly cheesy, but it did make sense.

"I would have told you before, but I was afraid that you wouldn't want to be friends with me afterwards," Bakura murmured. I sighed heavily. Spirit or not, I couldn't bear to see the blonde so down. I guess I would have to say another cheesy TV line in order to cheer him up.

"Bakura-kun, I'll always be your friend," I told him. Bakura gasped happily when I said this. God, who would have known how much these cliché lines work!

"Thank you so much, Raphiel-kun!" the blonde exclaimed. I looked over at Luna to see how she was taking it. She looked back at me with a worried expression on her face. I held a finger to my lips, telling her to be silent.

"We'll discuss this later," I mouthed to her. Luna nodded.

"Now, we should all get some sleep. We have a lot of Duelist Codes to collect in the morning," I suggested.

"Good idea! I'm really tired," Bakura agreed. Gee, I wonder why.

"Good night," Luna said to us all. I replied in turn and then we all laid there in silence, until we all fell asleep.

DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL DUEL DUAL

Don't expect another chapter as long as this. I just wanted to fit both duels in, since just the Raphiel-Steven duel wouldn't have been long enough to qualify for a chapter. But I didn't realize the Bakura-Mai duel would take so long!

I understand the last bit was kind of cheesy, but I've never been good at cheering up/angst scenes. Maybe If I had a freaking Beta Reader…but never mind that.

I've already gotten a Raphiel drawing, but it wasn't to my liking, so I'm still accepting more! Oh, and I will still be taking complaints and/or praises for this story in reviews! I would love to hear your feedback!


End file.
